Six Elements
by AlexXxandro
Summary: Six friends live normal lives. But they are soon thrown into another world on the brink of destruction. Now these six friends must come together and destroy the one thing that stops them from going home.
1. Struggles

This is a story about six very good friends. Each blessed with a gift that has been sealed deep within their hearts. However, none of them know about the epic journey they will embark on. Their strength will be put to the test as they try to stop chaos from enveloping an unknown world.

Six friends. Six elements. One universe that only they can save.

Chapter 1: Struggles

_Riiiinngggg! _

"Shit...Why the hell does class have to start so early.."

It was 6 A.M. The early morning smell gently hovered into the small bedroom along with the crisp morning air. Tye sat up in his bed and tiredly gazed around his room. "I need a shower." Cracking his back, the nineteen year old raised himself from the bed and dragged himself into the bathroom. Before he stripped down, Tye looked over his features. His light blonde hair was messy and fell over his ocean blue eyes. His torso was covered with bruises and a scar here and there. Peering out the bathroom door, his eye caught the end of his black belt hanging on the wall. _Funny..I don't remember putting it there._ Returning to the mirror, Tye studied himself once more. He had a lean, muscular body. Scratching his head, Tye eyed the large scar that ran down one side of his six pack. _It looks better._ Yawning some, he stripped down and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water run down his cold body.

Still asleep, Aubrey tossed and turned in the bed. Her hand reached out for someone who, to her surprise, had already gotten up. "Tye?" Rubbing her eyes, the nineteen year old yawned. Her ears caught the sound of running water and she fell back onto her pillow. "Why is he already awake?" She layed there for a while, slowly drifting back to sleep. However, her peaceful moment was interrupted by the sound of a door slamming. "Ughh. I hate our neighbors.." Rolling out of bed, Aubrey yawned while she stretched in the middle of their bedroom. Aubrey was quite short, standing at only 5'5, while Tye stood at 6'6. Her long black hair fell down to the middle of her back, and her dark brown eyes drooped lazily. She had a slim figure, slightly filling out at her chest and hips.

Sitting back onto the bed, Aubrey patiently waited for her boyfriend to finish his shower. Her fingers laced between her hair, tugging the small knot out of it. Several minutes slowly passed by before Tye emerged from the bathroom fully clothed. His baggy cargo pants fell around his feet. A fitted black shirt was stuck to his still moist body, and his messy blonde hair was now messy and spiked. "Morning beautiful." He smiled, taking a seat next to Aubrey. "Hey. Why are you up so early?" Frowning a bit, Tye glanced at the clock. "We have class today." Aubrey giggled a bit before gently kissing his cheek. "It's Sunday."

The wind shrieked along the narrow path, kicking the loose dirt into the sky. Peering over the edge of Mt. Blackthorn, Seth nervously hugged the side of the mountain. It was early Spring, and the cold winds of Winter still held it's hold over the large peak. From a bird's eye view, the gigantic structure covered the Earth for miles. One wouldn't be able to see the lonely knight grudging along the mountain pass. Behind Mt. Blackthorn layed the White Desert. Seth shuttered at the thought of possibly having to go into that death trap. His bright green eyes scanned the horizon. While the endless sand pile rested behind Mt. Blackthorn, a lush, green world slept peacefully in front of the mountain.

The morning light quietly danced along the sky, casting a bright orange across the rolling hills, large cities, and thick forests of Selius. To the East, Seth could barely make out the Kingdom of Rolburr. To the West of Rolburr stood Tellius. Beneath Mt. Blackthorn stood the Kingdom of Galma, Seth's home. Ten thousand years ago, the three Kingdoms were caught in the middle of a war. Death scorned the land. Tellius had sided with Rolburr, and Galma inched closer to destruction. When all hope had been lost, a single man appeared to the King of Galma, declaring that he alone could halt the bloodshed. Placing his trust in this man, the King commanded his army to cease fire. Seeing this unexpected act, the rival Kingdoms thought this was an act of surrender. Grabbing the opportunity to annihilate an enemy, the two armies advanced on the defenseless walls of Galma. They were stopped, however, by a lone figure. The figure demanded that the two Kingdoms halt the useless fighting, or they would suffer greatly.

Ignoring the threat, both Kings ordered the destruction of Galma; yet the outer walls never fell. To their astonishment, the lone figure brandished a large sword-_Firesburn-_and with it he destroyed both armies in an explosion of light and fire. Once the flames had died down, the army of Galma approached the walls of Tellius and Rolburr, forcing them to surrender. Soon after, a peace treaty was made. Before his departure, the lone figure approached the three Kings. He explained to them that he was a mage from the Kingdom in the Desert; an unknown place that supposedly produced powerful users of magic. The figure went on to explain that his King had ordered him to stop the war, and to entrust two weapons to each Kingdom. Each weapon had been blessed by the gods of the elements; Fire, Wind, Water, Lighting, Earth, & Metal. The weapons could only be wielded by those chosen by the gods, and those chosen would only appear in times of war.

So each Kingdom took two weapons. Tellius took _Wolf bane_, the Thunder Tome, and _Silencer_, the Wind Bow. Galma took _Firesburn_, the Fire Blade, and _Tsunami_, the Water Spear. Rolburr with _Demetrius_, the Rock Hammer, and _Stellix_, the Steel Axe. With these weapons, the Kingdoms would be protected from each other and any other threats that may occur.

Now, ten thousand years later, war appears to be erupting once again. Several small outbursts of violence have been swelling along the border of the White Desert. The three Kings believe the Kingdom in the Desert may be the cause of this uproar, and have sent Seth to investigate. Seth is a well respected Knight of Galma. He has earned the title of Commander, and envokes his command with a steady hand. However, many disagree with Seth's rank, due to his young age.

The knight is twenty-one years old, far too young to be a Commander. Yet his achievements and accomplishments have earned him such a high title. He stands at 6'3, and has a calm nature about him. His teal hair, scattered about his head, is a little darker than his emerald hues. A pressed white, button-up shirt covered his torso and a chain-mail undershirt could be visible near his neck. The sleeves rolled down his arms, suggesting that the shirt may be slightly big for him. Resting at his side was a sword. His baggy black pants blew in the wind along with the laces of his brown boots. Seth looked more like a mercenary rather than a Commander of an elite battalion. Yet his skill with the sword could not be beaten.

While his eyes soaked in the gorgeous view before him, a small glint of fear snapped in the back of his mind. _This sudden news...I don't like it. If we do end up in a war against The Desert King..We're as good as dead._

The early morning sun had arched its way into the sky. The cool morning breeze had turned into a harsh blast of wind. Alex and Brissa sat under a large oak tree, lazily watching the branches sway vigorously. "They're late." "They're always late." Sitting up, Brissa frowned a bit before poking her friend's side. The eighteen year old had dark brown hair that fell just short of her lower back, and her caramel eyes showed a hint of annoyance. She had a curved figure, almost like an hourglass, and wore a pair of slick black jeans; along with a loose white shirt that blew with the wind and a pair of flip flops. Lying down beside her, the twenty year old grinned a bit. His short dirty blonde hair was full of grass as he rolled onto his stomach. His muscle shirt blew wildly as the wind picked up. He also wore a pair of black cargo pants, and a pair of black and white sneakers that completed his ensemble.

Brissa frowned again, lighting poking Alex's side once more. "B, did I ever tell you how impatient you were?" "Yes, several times." Sitting up, Alex poked his friend's forehead. "Give them five more minutes. It's not gonna kill you." Brissa sighed, her back falling against the soft grass while she anxiously waited. Seconds seemed like minutes as the two eagerly awaited their friends. Brissa, growing bored, stood and looked up the large tree. "Alex, when are you going to teach me how to climb this thing?" Glancing up, he laughed a bit. "When you can hang on without falling." Ignoring Alex, the girl circled the tree, trying to spot a low branch. Her eyes examined the dark brown trunk and the bright green leaves. She stopped for a second, just so she could take in the sheer beauty of one of the oldest trees she'll probably ever see. The sun's rays enveloped the tree with a golden glow, almost giving it a majestic look. For a split second, Brissa could have sworn she saw something embedded in the bark; but she dismissed the thought. Once again she found herself mesmerized by the great oak tree. Another couple seconds passed, although to Brissa, time had almost stopped. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander about. She saw the oak tree, standing there like a King. She saw the bright green leaves dance around the branches down to the trunk. The sun's rays filled her body with warmth, and she became ecstatic.

Her daydreams were cut short though, by the shouts of the people she had been waiting for. Pulling herself away from the perfect little world inside her mind, Brissa opened her eyes and found herself back in reality. Turning towards the shouting, she could see her twin running towards her. "Kyrie Marie! You're late!" Approaching her with a slight skip, Brissa's twin sister gave her a small frown. "It's not my fault. The others kept wanting to stop." Peering over Kyrie's shoulder, Brissa caught a glimpse of her friends walking up the small hill that led to the tree. Looking back at her sister, Brissa playfully pushed Kyrie. "Well then you should've kept going." "I tried, but Shawn kept talking about his new ideas for my room." Again glancing behind her sister, Brissa's gaze scanned her friends, stopping on Shawn. He was tall. About 6'3. His brown hair looked longer than usual, and was brushed back. His hazel eyes circled the world around him, eventually stopping to look at a bird that had landed next to him. He had on a blue V-neck T-shirt. His faded jeans brushed up against his legs as the wind picked up; and he wore a pair of black sneakers that matched the black wristband he wore as well.

Turning back to her sister, Brissa eyed the outfit Kyrie had chosen. Her slick black jeans were nicely fitted about her legs, and tucked into them was a tight-fitted long sleeve shirt that rolled over her hands. Kyrie's light brown hair blew in the wind, and her caramel eyes matched that of Brissa's, just like her figure. If it weren't for the pink highlights in Kyrie's hair, the two would be identical.

Walking behind Shawn, Brissa spotted Tye and Aubrey, hand in hand, completely ignoring the world around them. She couldn't stop herself from laughing when Shawn decided to butt in on their alone time, causing them to snap back to reality. "So now that we're all here, can we please go now? I don't want to be late." "Relax B. The movie doesn't start for another thirty minutes. We've got time to kill." Jumping up, Alex nudged Brissa's shoulder. "That's what you said yesterday! And they were sold out by the time we got there." Walking over to her, Tye draped his arm around Brissa's shoulder. "Settle down B. We'll get goin' soon. Just give us five minutes to rest, ok?" Tye laughed some, shaking his head as he made his way back to Aubrey. "Ok, five minutes!" Brissa yelled, running over to Alex and playfully jumping onto his back.

The wind had grown more violent within the hour. Seth, tired and barely catching his breath, made his way down the mountain pass towards the small outpost that lied ahead. There, he would be able to confront a fellow Galman, and hopefully get some answers.

It had grown late into the afternoon by the time the young knight reached the old outpost. Seth was surprised the small building was still even standing. Opening the old metal door, Seth entered the structure, finally relieved to be out of the wind's path. He was greeted by an older man, possibly in his mid-fifties. He had a thick black mustache that curled around his cheeks, turning into a long narrow beard. The man's sloppy black hair fell over his forehead and covered much of his face. Yet Seth could clearly make out two beady eyes hidden within the mess of hair. "You must be Marcus." Nodding, the old man pointed to an open chair. Seth nodded back and took a seat, impatiently waiting for the news this man had. Marcus scratched his head before he stood and turned towards the large fireplace at the corner of the room. He spoke with a deep, calm voice that echoed within the chambers. "I've sent three dozen of my men out towards the White Desert to investigate these rumors that have the King so worried. So far, we've discovered that the King of the Desert is indeed threatening war upon us. His intentions are unknown, however.." Marcus turned around, eying Seth carefully as he continued. "..However. We believe he has used his skilled magicians to manipulate one of the Kings." Seth's heart sank. His body grew limp and cold when the words reached his ears. "..Do we know which King he has under his control?" Marcus heaved a deep sigh, his voice once again booming throughout the room. "We aren't one hundred percent sure. But we believe it to be either Rolburr, or Galma." Seth, still in a small state of shock, nodded slowly. "If it's Galma..Then this assignment was just a diversion.." "But." Seth glanced up to the giant before him. :..If it's Rolburr." Marcus interrupted, "then the prophecy is unfolding right before our eyes. And our entire world may come to an end."


	2. Wind

Ch. 2 : Wind

The wind had died off, leaving behind a small breeze. The group of friends happily walked home, ignoring the occasional blast of wind. Standing several yards ahead of them, a tall slim shadow cautiously slid behind a large tree. A long black trench coat flapped with the light breeze, revealing a rather short, silver blade. The grip on the handle tightened as the group drew closer. A pair of dark emerald eyes shot through the slight density of the figure's hiding place, disappearing within a second.

The wind began to pick up again, and the party of friends decided it'd be best to stay indoors until the gusts of harsh air calmed. "We can go stay in that old house on West Avenue!" Shouted Tye, nodding his head down the road. "Ok, but we should hurry up! The wind's getting worse!" Tilting their heads down, the six friends ran towards the old shack. It had once belonged to an old mayor, but once he passed on, the house slowly fell apart. Reaching it, they ran inside; ignoring the "No Trespassing" sign on the front door.

Once inside and out of the wind's strong grip; the group relaxed a bit and took the opportunity to explore the abandoned place. "You know, I've never been in here." "Yeah, neither have I." Rumbling around his backpack, Alex pulled out a flashlight, which he flicked on and examined the large living room. "You keep a flashlight in your backpack?" "Well, ya never know what's gonna happen." Eying Alex with a dumbfounded look, Tye shook it off before he turned to the girls standing in the corner. All three of them had huddled together, eyes wide and mouths a jaw. "What's with all of you?" Brissa's arm slowly raised up towards the ceiling. Glancing up, Tye's eyes narrowed a bit. "Alex, let me see that flashlight." "Sure." The oldest boy tossed the flashlight to Tye, who aimed it towards the ceiling. "..What the fuck.."

It had been only been about an hour since Seth returned to the castle of Galma. His muscles ached and all he wanted was to crawl into his bed. But instead, the young Knight had been called to the King's chambers to report on the recent fights breaking out across the White Desert's border. Standing in front of the large wooden door, Seth eyed the work of art for a few seconds. The red paint looked old, slightly antique, but brandished a majestic feeling. it was simple, yet elegant. Seth took in the sheer awe of something so typical, losing track of time. "Commander! The King is waiting for you." "Ah!" Jumping back a bit, Seth was knocked out of his daze by the giant that had called him. "Oscar, don't scare me like that." "I'm sorry Sir, but his majesty is waiting." Oscar, one of the King's Royal Knights, stood at barely 7 feet. He was dressed in shining black armor that fell down to his ankles; which were covered with a pair of steel boots. The giant's red hair was brushed back, yet some loose hairs had fallen over his ridged face. He had light blue eyes, which stood out the most. In one hand, the Royal Knight held a large diamond-shaped shield with the Kingdom's crest on the front. In his other hand was one of the most beautifully crafted spears any Knight had seen.

"Thank you Oscar." Nodding towards the King, the giant returned to his place next to the throne. The King of Galma was an elder man. He had dark gray hair that curled back against his head. His mustache and arm length beard matched his hair color, and his elder face looked restless. The King wore a white robe that drenched his entire body, including his feet. A golden sash was tied tightly around his waist, and the sleeves hung easily at the King's wrists. "Commander Seth! What have you found out?" Walking into the large throne room, Seth kneeled and bowed slightly before he spoke. "Your Majesty, I traveled to the outpost at the base of Mt. Blackthorn, and I'm afraid I have stressing news." The young Commander stood and adjusted his belt while he cleared his throat.

"It appears that the source of the fights along the desert's borders are, in fact, coming from the Kingdom in the Desert. So far, several other outposts have been attacked. Casualties are rising rapidly, already peeking three hundred. Even the outpost at Mt. Blackthorn has been raided. Currently, we do not know the reasons behind these violent outbreaks, nor do we see them stopping. With your permission Sire, I'd like to take one of my battalions to the current battle in Signa." The King remained silent for several minutes before he spoke. "Very well Seth. Take a battalion of your best men to Signa. I will send a messenger to Tellius and inform them I am sending aid. Also, while you're there. I'd like to identify the reasons for these outbreaks. Try and capture the commanding officer alive. Understood?" Nodding, Seth bowed once more. Turning on his heel, he walked out of the throne room, and down the hallway, hearing the large door shut. Walking past one of his men, Seth motioned for the soldier to follow. "Bert, ready the men. We leave for Signa tomorrow morning."

"What is it?" Standing up, Alex walked over to Tye; who was still staring at the wall. "What the hell?" Hanging above them was a large chandelier. The gold design was rusted in some spots, while others had completely disintegrated. Hanging right below the chandelier, with a noose around his neck, the former resident swayed slowly back and forth. His clothes were faded and torn. The body itself was decaying with bones poking out the skin. The corpse's hair was gray, and almost gone. Covering her mouth to stop herself from screaming, Kyrie closed her eyes as a set of tears streamed down her face. "Well, it looks like we know what happened to the old mayor.." "Yeah..I wonder how long he's been here." Looking to each other, Alex and Tye turned towards the girls. "Hey, girls. Go back outside. We're going to cut him down." "You're joking right?" Shaking his head, Tye motioned towards the door. "We can't leave the poor guy like this. So go outside and wait. Shawn you can go wi-...Shawn?" Looking around, Tye realized that one of them was missing. "Oh this is just great!" "Shawn!" Shouted Alex, walking back to his backpack and pulling out another flashlight. "Do you think he's still outside?" "No," whispered Brissa. "..I was hanging onto him when we came in here." "Great, so he went and got himself lost." Tye sighed a bit as he shook his head. "Girls, go wait outside. We'll go find Shawn and then cut this poor bastard down. Alex, please tell me you have some type of weapon in that thing." The twenty year old smirked, digging once again in his backpack. "Like I said, ya never know what's gonna happen." Pulling out a pair of steel daggers, he tossed them to Tye. He then returned to the pack, eventually pulling out a 9mm.

"Why are you two getting out weapons?" "Welp," Alex heaved, pulling the backpack onto his back. "This guy has been hanging here for about three years now. So in those past three years, I'd guess at least one gang or criminal of some kind has run through here." Nodding, Tye hooked the daggers onto his belt, continuing for his friend. "And one or more of those could still be lurking around in here. So it's best that we have something to defend ourselves." "But you both have black belts in Martial Arts..Why the daggers and gun?" Alex laughed a bit, while he checked to make sure the gun's magazine was loaded. "It's always better to have some type of weapon rather then just your fists." The girls quickly glanced around the dark room before they nodded. "Ok..But if you guys aren't back in twenty minutes, we're coming to look for you." The two boys smiled, giving the girls a small sense of reassurance. The girls returned the smiles with a grin of their own, soon turning towards the door.

Before any of them could take a single step, the room erupted with light. Blinded and confused, the girls stumbled back into their corner. Alex & Tye, however, ducked behind the old furniture, their eyes quickly adjusting to the sudden flash of white. "Tye! The body's gone!" "What?" Looking towards the ceiling, the old chandelier and hanging corpse had disappeared, leaving behind a large mirror. "It's an illusion!" Shouted Tye, unsheathing the daggers from their resting spots. The five friends were soon met with a loud ring that enveloped the entire building. The high pitched, almost shrieking noise, blasted across the room. The only thing any of the teens could do was cover their ears as another flash of white erupted in front of them. This light though was more intense, more hot. It seemed to be coming from the mirror, slowly engulfing the entire house in it's glow. The high pitched ringing had begun to quite down, and was replaced with shouting. Another burst of light, followed by more shouting. Soon all any of them could hear was the screaming of hundreds of men. The ground shook beneath their feet, and a large gust of wind knocked Tye & Alex out of their hiding places. The gust slowly turned into a typhoon, sweeping the two boys up into the air; the girls being pulled up right behind them. Their bodies were like feathers in this violent twister. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" "I DON'T KNOW!" The shouting grew louder while the tornado pulled the group higher into the air. The abandoned shack had vanished. The streets and sidewalks had been replaced by dirt paths and dense forests. The five were now being thrown around somewhere they had never been. It grew hot, and the twister merely continued its rampage, dragging the group along this new area. Gasping for a breath of air, Brissa closed her eyes and tried to clear her head. _What in the world is going on?_

Dawn had come. A harsh wind blew along the rows of soldiers. The Galman Crest could be seen on the front of hundreds of suits of armor. Standing in front of this massive crowd, Seth heaved a sigh of relief. All had gone according to plan, and now all he had to was march to Signa and confront the dwindling enemy. He might not even have to fight. "Commander! The men are ready and awaiting your orders!" A smirk played it's way across Seth's face. The Knight grabbed the hilt of his sword and shouted to his men as he drew his blade. "Onwards! To Signa, and to the enemy!" A boom of cheers erupted from the crowd. Weapons were thrust into the air in celebration of the upcoming battle. "March to victory!"

The grand city of Signa. It's marble buildings and vast markets were famous within the Kingdoms. The city itself was incredibly large, far bigger than any of the other cities. But, the thing that gave Signa it's nickname, the "Silver City", was the large silver sculpture placed in the center of town. A large silver blade, decorated with ruby, emerald, and sapphire gems. A single diamond sat atop the hilt. It's clarity resembled the crisp clear waters of the Western Ocean. This monument was the reason hundreds, if not thousands, flocked to this grand city every day. But on this peculiar day, the streets weren't bustling with the noise of eager shoppers and the occasional group of solders. No, on this day, the people remained shut up in their homes, while the solders were cut down in the streets. Bodies littered the granite pavement, blood stained the white walls. Like flies, the soldiers fell. Reinforcements were dwindling. Commander Augustine, of the Royal Army of Tellius, stood in front of the statue in the center of Signa. "What's the situation?" "Another battalion has fallen near the eastern gate, and the two battalions near the northern gate are being cut off." The Commander heaved a sigh of grief. "Any news from Galma or Rolburr?" "Yes Sir. It appears Galma is sending a Commander and an army of approximately five hundred men." A small smile curved on Augustine's drenched face. The Commander was well known throughout the three Kingdoms for his incredible skill with the Axe, earning him the nickname: "The Bull of Tellius." His heavy, dark blue armor seemed rather bright in the city. His hair matched the color of his armor, and was tied back with a short ponytail falling down to his upper back. Augustine's light blue eyes studied the scene around him. The Commander looked quite young for being in his late 40s. "Alright! Call the men back. We'll hold this position until Galman reinforcements arrive!"

_Ow..My head..What in the world happened.._ Aubrey opened her eyes, soon shutting them again due to the bright sun. "Oww.." The girl rubbed her head and sat up. Slowly reopening her eyes, she looked around. "Where...am I.." Her eyes caught something that looked all too familiar. Lieing a few yards away, Kyrie's body slowly rolled over. "Kyrie!" "Ugh..B five more minutes.." Aubrey stood and walked over to her friend. "Hey, Kyrie. Are you ok?" The pink haired girl opened one eye. "Aubrey? What are you doing in my room?" Giggling, Aubrey sat down next to her. "Ky, we aren't in your room." "We aren't?" Sitting up, Kyrie opened her other eye. After glancing around, a frown snuck onto her face. "Well then, where are we?" "I don't know." The two girls sat in the dirt, both taking in the scenery around them. They were in a large field. The soil beneath them was almost as hard as the rocks that scattered the ground. Several small trees perked up from the earth, and the withered grass swayed with the slow winds. "Hey, look!" Kyrie shouted, pointing to another familiar person. "B! Hey sis, wake up!" The two stood and ran over to Brissa, who was face down in a small patch of green grass. "Oww..Ky, don't yell." "Sorry." The third friend carefully sat up, looking around before her gaze fixated on the others. "Where are we?" The other two merely shrugged. "We don't know. But it's not the city." "Obviously." Rubbing her head, Brissa brushed a little dirt off her shoulder before standing. "Well, what are we gonna do?"

"You're gonna come with us!"

Turning around, the three girls came face to face with a small group of men. All of them swung an axe around, snickering as they examined the girls. One of the members of the group, a rather short, plump man, chuckled. "Looky here boys! It seems a couple of the local whores have gotten lost!" "What did you call us!" Taking a step forward, Aubrey clenched her fists. "You heard me! Whores! Sluts! In other words, our fun for the day!" Aubrey took another step forward, shoving one of the thugs. "We aren't a couple sluts you can take advantage of!" Letting out a loud laugh, the group quickly surrounded the girls. "Um..Aubrey. I don't think you should've done that.." Kyrie grabbed a hold of Brissa's and Aubrey's arm, pulling them closer to her. "What are we going to do?" "You're gonna bend over little bitch!" The group inched closer to the girls. One of the men reached out and groped Brissa, who immediately smacked the hand away. "Bahaha! So you like it rough, huh? Come on boys, let's have some fun!"


	3. Awakening

Ch 3: Awakening

"I think they've had enough fun."

"Who said that!"

"Behind you."

"Gahh!"

Blood splashed across the dirt. One of the men clutched his chest as he fell over, a pool of red pouring out of a large hole in the middle of his torso. Standing behind the goon, a tall figure wiped the blood off his blade. "Not bad. Not bad." Another rather tall figure walked up to the first. A large bow rested in his hand; the string was pulled back and an arrow silently awaited to be shot. "I bet I can hit that one guy in the back right between the eyes." "Alright, you're on. 50 gold pieces says you'll miss." The second silhouette nodded, drawing his bow. "I'd run if I were you." Stepping back, one of the thugs farthest away took a deep breath. "Hey! What makes you think you can mess with the Axe Brothers, huh?" The figure with the sword laughed, pointing the tip of his blade to the apparent leader of the group. "The Axe Brothers? What kind of stupid name is that?" The leader's face turning a dark red, he drew his axe."Get 'em!" The remaining thugs drew their weapons and charged towards the figures.

A vibrating _Toingg! _ran through the air. "Gahh!" The farthest of the group flew back, landing on the hard ground with an arrow in between his eyes. "Huh..Looks like I owe you 50 gold." Snickering, the owner of the bow reached into his quiver. "Yeah, that racks it up to 300 gold pieces." "Don't remind me." The swordsman ran forward, quickly cutting down the opponents in front of him. Each goon fell hard, a single slash cut neatly across their neck. Only the supposed leader was left standing. "W-What the hell! How dare you challenge the Axe Brothers! I-I'll have you know there's mo-Gah!" A clean gash appeared across the leader's neck, a dark red spilling out as he fell over. "I don't really give a damn.." "Always so harsh." Laughing, the two victorious men turned to the girls, who had been in shock since the start of all this. "What, no thank you? Gee, thanks babe." Blinking, Aubrey titled her head. "Babe?"

Tye cracked his neck, taking out a rag to clean his sword. Snickering, Alex slid his bow into the large quiver at his side. "Oh my god!" Running towards them, Aubrey jumped into Tye's arms. "Alex!" Kyrie and Brissa followed Aubrey, both of them running into Alex's open arms. "Where the hell have you three been? We've been looking for you for almost a week!" "A week? We just got here, didn't we?" Looking towards one another, the boys shook their heads. "Nevermind. At least you three are safe." "Hey Tye..Where are we?"

"Selius."

"Ok..And where is that?" Asked Brissa.

Looking at her, Alex sighed. "Ok, me and Tye will explain things from the start. But you probably won't believe us. Go ahead Tye."

"Right..Well basically.."

_**"Oh man my stomach won't shut up!" Tye and Alex had been walking for several hours, seeing nothing but forests and large hills. They didn't know where they were, or how they had gotten there. "Tye, if I don't get some food soon I might pass out.." "Yeah I know how you feel." Grabbing his stomach, Tye sighed. "I'm starving.." The warm afternoon sun only added to their misfortunes, it's heat dancing through the unknown world. "You think this is some new part of the city?" "I doubt it. We've been walking for who knows how long and haven't seen anything." Finding a small tree, the two boys sat down underneath it's heavy branches. "Where do you think the others are?" "I don't know..But I'm sure they'll be alright." The two sighed and gazed at the endless ocean of grass. "Wherever we are. It sure is beautiful."**_

_**"Thank you." **_

_**"What the hell?" Looking up, the boys came face to face with a girl. She was wearing a thin light blue dress that fell down to her knees. Her short black hair cut off at her upper back, and she had deep brown eyes. "Finally, something other than a tree." Giggling, the girl jumped down from her hiding place. "Are you lost?" "Very." Giggling again, the girl took a seat next in between them. She examined them both carefully before speaking. "Your clothes look funny. Are you two mercenaries?" "Huh?" "Oh, I know! Your both mages aren't you!" The boys looked at each other, confusion slapped onto their faces. "Um..No we aren't 'mages'. We're Alex and Tye." The girl merely nodded before she stood and ran off. "Hey, wait!" Shouted Alex. "What's her problem?" "I don't know..But maybe she knows where we are. Let's follow her." Standing up, Tye chased after the strange girl. "Wait, what? Hey, Tye!" Alex jumped up, and ran after his friend. "Slow down you asshole!" **_

"We ended up at a castle. With a King and everything. We explained our problem to him, and he told us where we were. He even gave us these clothes and weapons." For the first time since they had seen the two, the girls quietly looked over the boys' appearances.

Alex was dressed in white pants that tucked into a pair of brown boots. A blue shirt was fitted comfortably over his torso, and the brown quiver at his side hung loosely by his belt buckle. A pair of black and blue gloves covered his hands and stretched up to his wrists. The bow, a dark blue, had been slung over his back. Tye wore a pair of knee high black boots. His dark brown pants hugged his legs, and were tucked into his boots as well. A long fitted black shirt fell down to his thighs and a red sash was tied around his waist. Slightly lower, a silver belt was fitted about his lower waist, his blade's sheath firmly attached. A long-sleeved dark blue trench coat fell over the teen's figure, coming to an end around his ankles.

"So..You've been looking for us since then?" "Pretty much." "I'm still confused..Where are we?" Kyrie turned to Aubrey, giving her a small nod. "Yeah. What happened to home?" "Maybe you should talk to the princess. She can explain things a lot better than we can." "A princess!" Jumping up, Kyrie skipped around the group. "I wanna meet her!" "Hey calm down." She stopped, pouting a little. "Pleasee?" "Alright, I guess we could take you to her." "Yay!" Tye quickly let out a sharp whistle. A pair of horses ran towards them, coming to a halt in front of the boys. "You girls can ride the horses. We'll walk and explain this whole place to you. The princess can explain why we're here." The girls simply nodded and climbed onto the horses.

"Move up! Cut off their route!" Breathing heavily, Seth leaned up against a half destroyed wall. It would most likely be his only time to rest. The knight took in a deep breathe before pushing himself up and running down the narrow side street. Signa had been blasted apart, only a small handful of buildings remained. Seth had a split second to gather his mind; and that was all he needed. Rounding a corner, the end of his sword met the enemy, leaving behind a large hole in the torso. Four more dropped from the ceilings. One of them stepped back and leafed through a book. A large white circle covered the ground around Seth's feet as his opponent chanted the phrases. "_Bufera di neve, Bufera di neve!" _The ground turned cold. Seth hurriedly rolled away, barely dodging the giant iceberg that had shot up from the ground. Seeing there opportunity, the remaining three charged the knight. Swiftly regaining his balance, Seth awaited the assault and easily cut down his enemies. "_Bufera di neve!" _"Shit!" Rolling again, Seth could feel the chill of the ice that had sprung where he once stood. _I need to kill this mage before I become an ice sculpture._ He stood. Taking a deep breathe, Seth closed his eyes. He could feel it. The energy flowing through his blood. The surge of power he had always kept hidden. His eyes shot open, causing the mage to stumble back. Seth's pupils had vanished, and been replaced with white eyes as soft and harsh as snow. "You're an ice mage, correct?" The mage gulped before he slowly nodded. "Then you'll love what I can do!"

"Ice Prison, OPEN!"


	4. The White Wolf

Ch4: The White Wolf

Night had fallen on the country of Rolburr. But none of the girls could sleep. They all sat in their beds replaying the conversation they had a few hours ago..

_**"Welcome back you two." "Thanks Cassidy." Staring in awe and slight confusion, the three girls gazed around the massive room they had just entered. The high ceiling carried their voices up while they spoke. Large chandeliers dotted along the ceiling, giving the room a warm feeling to it. Several rows of chairs and luxurious couches stretched across the room. Large windows showed the evening light, and one overlooked a huge garden to the South of the castle. "Is this your first time in a castle?" The girls simply nodded, still in awe over everything. "You there! How dare you stare at the princess!" A guard who had been walking by ran towards Brissa. "Do not stare at her majesty like th-" A glint of steel flashed through the room, quickly followed by dead silence. Tye's sword had swung up to the guard's neck. "Stand down soldier." "W-Who are you! And how dare you call me a 'soldier!'" Tye stepped away from the man and quickly sheathed his blade. "You look like a soldier to me. A pretty stupid one in fact." A dash of red popped up on the guard's face. "How dare you! I am Captain Moshiri of the fifth battalion!" "And he," chimed in Cassidy, "is the White Wolf." "White wolf?" Aubrey repeated, tilting her head towards her boyfriend. "Mhm. Tye has become quite famous within the last few days." Now all three girls were glued to the 'White Wolf.' "I'll explain later." Returning his attention to the Captain, who was also in disbelief, Tye laughed. "Don't look so surprised Captain. Alot of people don't know my identity. And it'd be best if no one else found out. Understand?" The Captain gulped and nodded slightly. He then bowed to the princess and hurriedly disappeared around the corner. "Now then. What can I do for you?" Alex nervously scratched the back of his head and nudged Tye. "Cassidy, can you please explain to these three why we all ended up here?" "Certainly. Have a seat." Following her command, the three sat down and anxiously waited for her to start while the boys leaned against the arms of the couches.**_

_**"Well, to put it bluntly. My father and the other Kings believe you all are the chosen heroes and heroines of an ancient prophecy. But many noblemen think you're just ordinary commoners who have been hiding until now. Also, the King of the desert has most likely heard of your arrival. So I assume he will send his men after you. But while you're here, my father wants to train you all so you'll be able to stand and fight for us in the upcoming battles."**_

_**"Um...So are Tye and Alex apart of your army?" **_

_**"Not necessarily. They're more like mercenaries. Tye refuses to be apart of any army, but he'll work for money." Glancing over to Tye, the girls gave him a cold look. "What? I don't like being told what to do by some wannabe fighter who cares more about his status then his skill." "So you and Alex are mercenaries?" Asked Kyrie. "Yep. We're already pretty famous in Rolburr and Tellius." Cassidy quietly nodded in agreement with him as she sat down across from the group. "So, any other questions?" Brissa nervously raised her hand and nodded. "I'm still a little confused about the whole 'training' thing. You want us to learn how to fight?" "That's right. You see, the only enforcements of the law are the King's soldiers. But must of them are either away in another Kingdom or at the barracks on the outskirts of the city. So towns are constantly plagued by bandits and slave masters. In order to protect the people, hundreds of men and women have become mercenaries so they can protect those towns." "So what'd you say girls? Wanna learn how to fight?" Glancing back to Tye, Kyrie smirked and stood. "Hell yeah!" Standing up also, Aubrey walked over to Tye and gently pecked him on the cheek. "Only if I get to stay with you Tye." Laughing some, Tye wrapped his arm around Aubrey's shoulder. "Of course." Plopping onto the couch next to Brissa, Alex nudged her and grinned. "Come on B. It's not like you'll be fighting by yourself. We're all gonna be here with you." Grinning back, Brissa shoved Alex off the couch. "I know. I was going to say yes anyways." **_

_**"Then it's settled. Girls, you'll start your training within the next few days. In the meantime, why don't you go get some sleep and tomorrow I'll show you around the city." **_

And so here they were. Lying in their huge room in some foreign place. But, somehow, they felt different than usual. They were all nervous, obviously. Yet all three of them felt a kind of excitement they had never felt before. Soon the girls had fallen asleep, and their minds drifted away; fantasizing about their training and adventures they will most likely have.

Meanwhile, next door, Tye and Alex sat in their room thinking. Much like the girls' room, their room was rather large. The decor in both rooms was the same; three large beds, several chairs and couches, a long desk sat snug in the corner. The only difference between the rooms was the shape. The boys had a rectangle-shaped room, while the girls' room was more like a square.

Sitting on one of the couches, Alex leafed through a stack of papers on the small table in front of him. "Hey what about this one Tye? They're offering 4,000 Gold Pieces for killing off a couple thugs." Standing in front of a large mirror, Tye closely examined his shirtless torso. Several bruises covered his chest. A long scratch ran down the side of his abs, but Tye was more occupied on something else. On the left side of his chest, right where his heart is, a large paw-shaped scar had formed onto his skin. His mind faded out to the night he had acquired the scar, as well as his nickname: The White Wolf..

_**"Are you Tye?" "Yeah." "I heard from the Commander that you're a mercenary. I have a job for you." "Alright. What is it?" "I need you to capture a wanted man. He's been hiding out in a small town to the North of here. His name is Mason. I'll pay you 100,000 if you bring him back alive." "What if I kill him?" "Then I'll give you half of that." "Fair enough. Ok, I'll do it." "One more thing Tye. I want only you to go. You can't take your friend with you."**_

**What a jackass..**

_**Sitting atop a large hill, Tye examined the town below him. Night had fallen. The wind picked up, causing Tye's trench coat to fly back. The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a large piece of paper. Even though he had read it numerous times, he scanned the page once again.**_

**WANTED:**

**Mason Hughes**

**Charges: Murder, Theft, Slavery,Arsenic,Rape and Kidnapping**

**Reward: **

**Alive: 100,000**

**Dead: 50,000**

_**"Damn..If I could kill this bastard I would..But he's worth more alive." Tye let out a small sigh, returning the piece of parchment to his pocket. Suddenly, a loud scream shot out from the village, followed by a loud smashing noise. "Well, better get to work." Standing up, Tye stretched a bit. He cracked his knuckles and jumped off the hill, landing near the bottom, and ran towards the center of town. **_

_**Once he had reached the center, he made a hard right towards the sound of another scream. Running through the open street, the wind whipping by his face, Tye couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't had this much fun in a long time; even if the risk was incredibly high, he didn't care. Taking another hard right, Tye quieted himself and focused on the task at hand. **_**I need to knock this guy out and bring him back as fast as I can. I don't want this thing to get bloody. ****_"Help!" "Huh?" Turning around, Tye spotted a woman lying on the ground. She looked to be in her mid twenties. Her clothes had been ripped off, and her naked body was covered in something sticky. Blood ran down the side of her head, and as he helped her to her feet, he noticed she had a large gash on her back. "Where'd he go?" Sniffling, the woman shook her head. "I...I don't know..When he was done with me..He just ran off..I-I'm sorry.." "It's alright. Get inside and get cleaned up. I'll deal with this bastard." Tye waited until the woman had safely gotten inside, then unsheathed his sword and dashed down the street. _**

_**After about twenty minutes of searching, Tye finally caught up to his target. He was in the middle of raping another girl; this one looked younger than the first. Clutching the hilt of his blade, Tye ran forward. In a flash, Mason had been knocked out. Tye helped the young girl to her feet before turning his attention back to the bounty. "Mason Hughes. You, my sad little friend, are going to jail." Tye kneeled down next to the unconscious body. He pulled out a rope and hog tied Hughes' arms and legs. Bashing him across the head once again, just to be sure, Tye pulled the bounty to his feet. He let out a sharp whistle, and half dragged, half walked, Mason towards his approaching horse. He was met, however, by another horse. This one had a rider. "You! What are you doing with that man?" Tye glanced to Hughes, then back to the rider. "He's a criminal. I'm taking him to jail." "No you aren't! That's my brother!" The rider jumped off his horse and pulled the large axe off his back. "Oh great. So there's two of you?" "Let him go, and I won't kill you, ok bounty hunter?" Laughing, Tye dropped Mason to the floor. "I'm no bounty hunter. Just doing some work for a little extra cash." "It doesn't matter. I won't let you take him away from here!" Charging at Tye, the man wildly swung his axe around. **_

_**Tye sidestepped, then ducked, followed by a quick flip backwards. The man was fast but lacked a sense of direction, giving Tye the chance to easily dodge and counter each of his attacks. Steel clashed with steel. The man swung his axe from above, and Tye held up his sword to block it. But the man's strength was stronger than Tye had thought. His axe snapped Tye's blade in two, which knocked the mercenary back against a wall. The axe wielder swung for Tye's head. The boy ducked and rolled between his opponents legs. **_**Shit! This isn't good! ****_Dodging another swing, Tye staggered back while the man continued to hack away at him. For several minutes, all Tye could do was dodge. He had no other weapons, and didn't have enough time to run for Mason's axe. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Tye caught a glimpse of something. He could hardly tell what it was, but he knew it was something he could use. _**

_**Tye patiently waited for the right moment to grab the object. Soon, that moment came. The man swung his axe down for his legs, and Tye jumped up, landing on the axe itself. In a split second, he kicked his enemy dead in the face, knocking the man into a nearby pile of boxes. Turning, Tye rushed for the object. When he got to it, he was shocked to find a tome. It was far older than any spell book he had ever seen. The ridges were made of pure silver. The pages were old and tarnished. An engraving was written in dark black lettering, but Tye couldn't read it. Leafing through the pages, he tried to find anything that might help him fight. "Come on! There's gotta be one spell I can read in here!" Near the end of the book, he saw it. A single line that he understood. It was in the same font and language as the rest of the book, but for some odd reason Tye knew what it said. "This'll have to do!" Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of the axe man pulling himself out of the broken pile of boxes. Tye hurriedly read over the phrase before he spoke it aloud. **_

_**"Fangs of the moon, claws of the earth! Beast from heaven, I call for your rebirth!"**_

_**Nothing. Tye looked around. **_**Are you kidding me! ****_Nothing had happened. The spell was a dud. By this time, Tye's enemy had already freed himself from the pile and was making his way towards the boy. "Haha! You think some little enchantment will help you? You have no weapon, and you're all alone! You're DEAD!" _**

_**"Not yet!" Jumping away from the lunging axe, Tye ran towards one of the houses. Running up the wall, he grabbed a hold of the roof and pulled himself up. He then ran along the roofs of the homes, occasionally having to jump from one to another. He knew that right behind him, the crazed axe swinger was trying to cut his legs off. Jumping onto another roof, Tye felt a small burst of adrenaline kick in. He dropped down and took off running towards the maniac behind him. **_**I just need to get behind him..****_ His speed picked up. He could feel the extra boost of energy surge through his body. His muscles tightened and his heart raced faster as he inched closer to his enemy. "You think you'll win with just your fists? Don't make me laugh!" Swinging his axe down on top of Tye, the man laughed loudly. To Tye, however, the axe seemed incredibly slower than usual. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush? Maybe the man had tired out? Tye didn't care, all he knew was that he was faster than his opponent, and he could win. Sidestepping past the axe, Tye spun around and kicked his foot up. His heel collided with the man's head, sending him flying into a large tree. _**

_**Tye froze in his tracks. His eyes were wide, and mouth a jar. He not only kicked the man into the tree, but broke the tree and three others behind it in the process. The axe wielder had flown through four trees before hitting a large boulder. "Gah!" Clutching his chest, Tye fell to his knees. He began to cough up blood, and his heart felt like it was being torn in two. His breathing became heavy, and his mind grew fuzzy. A loud ringing echoed through his ears. He screamed, but didn't hear anything. Falling over, Tye tore off his shirt. A large paw print had been burned onto his chest, and the searing pain only grew worse. The ringing became louder, his head felt like it was about to split open. It felt like a large foot was stepping on him. He couldn't move or breathe. Then, another stab of searing pain. His mind had blanked out. He felt his heart being ripped apart inside his chest. Another loud scream. This time though, he heard it. **_

_**"AHHHHHHH!"**_


	5. A New Power

Ch. 5: A new power

_**Tye loosely drifted in and out of consciousness. His chest felt like it was on fire. The ringing in his ears had died down, but he now had a splitting headache. He could barely make out a small voice. But he knew it was there. "Don't worr...You'll be alrig..." Suddenly, his conscious snapped back. He shot up from where he was laying, sweat drenching his body. His breathing was heavy, causing a small pain in his throat. Tye wasn't lieing on the ground outside anymore. He was laying on a large couch in the middle of a rather small room. The couch was incredibly soft, and had a cinnamon smell. The room had another couch, which was much smaller, in the corner. Sitting on that couch, looking very frightened, sat two little girls; both were probably seven or eight. Tye tried to move, but was met by a sharp pain in his chest. He grabbed his chest, and noticed a large bandage was neatly wrapped around it. Another shot of pain pierced his chest, forcing him to cough up blood. Even more frightened, the two girls ran out of the room. Tye painfully swung his legs off the couch and onto the cool wooden floor. Clutching his chest, he stood and slowly walked through the single doorway at the end of the room by the smaller couch. He walked down a short hallway and turned into the closest room. **_

_**In this room, Tye was met by two more people. An older man with a large gray mustache and a humble appearance sat at a small table, reading a stack of papers. Across from him, and also enveloped in a small group of papers, was a young girl. Tye immediately recognized the girl as the one he had saved from Mason earlier. "Hey, are you alright?" Looking up from the page, the girl smiled warmly and nodded. "I'm alright. But you should be more worried about yourself. Here, have a seat." Smiling back, Tye sat down next to the girl, groaning a bit. "This is nothing. I'll be fine within a day or so.." The man across from them laughed, and eyed Tye with a curious look. "I'd be more careful if I were you, son. You could've been killed out there." Tye simply chuckled and reached into his back pocket. "If I was careful, then I'd be dead." He pulled out a bag of gold and placed it on the table. "What's this?" "It's yours." "You don't have to pay us for our hospitality." "No..I'm giving this too you so you can rebuild what's been destroyed." Hesitantly, the man reached out and took the bag of gold. "Thank you son..You know, most boys your age are just interested in women and fighting." Tye laughed again, leaning back in the chair. "I'm not like most boys." "That you aren't. By the way, I'm Thomas. This is Lily, my eldest daughter. The twins are Mary and Amy." Tye slowly nodded to Lily and waved to the twins sitting on another small couch. "I'm Tye." "That's quite a nasty scar you've got there." "Scar?" Looking down at his wrapped chest, Tye could see the ends of a paw shaped scar on his chest. His head became foggy. He could barely breathe, and another sharp pain shot through his skull, causing him to fall off the chair onto the floor. "Girls go get a bucket of water! Lily, help me move Tye back to the couch!"**_

_**Out of nowhere, images flooded through Tye's brain. He saw a large white wolf walking towards a cliff. It stared out at nothing, as if it were waiting for something. Then he heard it. Tye could hear his own voice ring out. **_

_**"Fangs of the moon, claws of the earth. Beast from heaven, I call for your rebirth!" **_

_**The wolf let out a loud howl that carried on for several minutes. When it had finished, it transformed into a man. The man had blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a paw shaped scar over his chest, and a sword was comfortably fitted to his belt loop. **_**Is...That me? "Yes it is." What the- Who's there? ****_"Calm yourself human. I mean you know harm." _...Are you the one who gave me this scar? _"I am. You might not realize it Tye, but you've made a vow with a wolf." _I...did?_ "Yes. When you spoke those words, you opened your heart to my mind and power." _But...Why? _"You did it unintentionally. But this vow is irreversible. And there is a mandatory payment." _Payment? _"Yes. You see, the enchantment you spoke was of ancient magic. It allowed a human to form a bond with an animal. The enchantment you read was to form a bond with me. But in order for you to fully inherit my powers, I had to replace half of your heart with mine." _You what? _"Calm down Tye. You're not going to die. You simply have half of a wolf's heart. Meaning you have the abilities of a wolf. But do not overuse those abilities. The human half of your heart will not be able to withstand it and you will die." _Oh great..So what are these abilities?...Hello?...**

_**"..Mister. Hey mister, are you alright?" "Huh?" Opening his eyes, a concerned Amy was staring at him. "Mister wolf man, are you ok?" "...Wolf...man?" The little girl nodded and pointed to his scar. "You have a scar just like the white wolf." Tye glanced down at his chest. The bandage had been replaced, and he was lieing back on the couch. "Amy, don't call our guest a wolf man." Turning around, Tye's eyes met Lily; who was standing in the doorway. Tye carefully pulled himself up, clutching his chest and coughing up some more blood as another sharp pain passed through his body.**_**_"Are you alright? Hang on I'll get a towel." Lily quickly ran out of the room; returning within seconds with a damp towel. She sat down next to him, and handed the cloth over. "I told you..This kinda stuff is nothing." Tye took the towel and wiped his mouth off then gave her a small grin._**

_**The two sat quietly on the couch for several minutes before he spoke up. "What happened to Mason and his brother?" "Oh!" Standing up, Lily ran out of the room again. While she was gone, Amy walked over to Tye and grabbed his hand. She studied it very closely, apparently making sure he was human. "Hahaha, that tickles." Letting go of his hand, the little girl gave him a big smile. "I like you Mr. Wolf man." "I like you too Amy." Giggling, she happily ran off through the doorway. For once, Tye was alone. Standing up, he took off his bandage. A small mirror lied on a table close to the front door. Picking it up, Tye studied the scar on his chest. It's shape did resemble a wolf's paw. His mind flashed back to everything that had happened up to that point. Grabbing his chest, he stumbled back onto the couch. **_**Why the hell did this happen to me..**

_**"I almost forgot to hand this to you." Smiling, Lily sat back down next to him. She had a large bag of gold in her had. "The military came and took both of those thugs to jail." "So Mason's brother wasn't killed?" Lily bit her bottom lip, shaking her head a little. "Oh.." Tye heaved a deep sigh. "I'm sorry you had to be put through all that.." "It's not your fault. And it isn't as if he got me pregnant or anything. I'm just glad you were there to save me." The two sat together in silence for several more minutes. The silence was broken, however, by a large BOOM that echoed through the house. "What the hell was that?" Tye shouted and rushed outside. "Wait! Tye, you can't go out there like that!" He didn't care though. **_**Damn it! I hope it's not another one of those bastards! ****_Dashing through the streets, he hurriedly checked down every alleyway and house he passed. Rounding a corner, Tye slid to a stop. He had ended up at the outskirts of the town by the hill where he had been sitting not too long ago. Atop the hill were several large cannons; each with half a dozen men or so standing around them. "Hey! Don't you morons know there are people here!" Glancing down the hill, one of the men shouted something and pointed towards Tye. Another one of the men pushed the cannon towards Tye, shouting something to the soldier next to him. The soldier nodded and loaded the cannon. _Fine then..**

_**Cracking his knuckles, Tye dashed up the hill. He didn't even realize his sword was still back in town. His mind shifted while he ran, instinct taking over his whole body. "Let's try this new power out, shall we!" Jumping into the air to dodge the blast, he took a deep breath of the cool crisp night air. His sense were ten times stronger then before. He could smell the sweat dripping off his enemy. He could see the crushed blades of grass beneath their feet as clear as day. He felt even more alive than before. Landing on one of the cannons, Tye spun his leg around, easily taking out four of the guards. He then took one of their lances and shoved it into the cannon itself. His ears picked up the sound of a string being released, and ducked as an arrow shot over him. **_**This is incredible! ****_Turning towards the archer, Tye lunged at him. A pool of blood formed around the now dead archer as Tye stood and cracked his back. "Now this is how to fight!" He spun around just in time to dodge another arrow. Five more archers stood several yards away, pelting him with a barrage of arrows. Tye charged them, jumping and ducking over arrows as they whizzed millimeters away from his skin. Once he had closed the distance between them all, Tye grabbed an archer by the throat. While he squeezed, he stepped back to dodge a sword. Killing off the archer, Tye dropped the body to the ground and tackled the swordsman. _**

_**For the next twenty minutes or so, Tye destroyed the cannons and cut down one soldier after another. He was faster, stronger, more powerful than any of them. Only one man remained. By his armor, Tye guessed he was high up in the military. The insignia was different though. Tye didn't recognize it. "W-Who are you?" Giving the man a small laugh, Tye inched his way closer to his prey. "I'm T-..." His mind quickly dashed back to the house he had stayed in for that short period of time. "You have a scar just like the white wolf!" **_

_**"..Listen and listen good. I'm going to let you live. Now report back to your Commander and tell him about me. Tell him that the beast of Rolburr has awakened and plans to wipe all of you out. Tell him the White Wolf waits for him."**_

_**Tye took several deep breathes. He carefully watched the man run off before clutching his chest. He bent over, falling down to his knees and coughing up another hand full of blood. His body began to shake from the tension throughout his body. **_**I should...get back...to the house.. ****_Tye unwillingly pushed himself to his feet. Straightening up, he made his way down the hill and back to the town. He was greeted by almost everyone from the town. People shook his hand, offered him something to drink, even praised him. "That was magnificent! I've never seen anyone fight like that!" "You have our thanks my boy!" Tye merely nodded and gave the townspeople a warm smile while he made his way back to the house. Once inside, he was greeted by the twins, who ran towards him and grasped his legs. "You saved us again mister!" Tye laughed a little and knelt down next to the girls; gently rubbing their heads he gave them both a small grin. "Well you're worth saving." Standing back up, he glanced around the room. "Do you two know where my clothes went?" "Uh-huh. They're in the Kitchen." The twins each grabbed an arm and dragged him through the house to the kitchen where Lily and Thomas nervously sat. "There you are!" Running up to him, Lily gave Tye a long and tight hug. "You scared me.." Tye held back a groan, instead giving her a laugh. "I get that a lot." _**

"Hey Tye are you alright?" "Huh?"

Tye shook his head. He was standing in his room, examining his scar. Since that long night, his reputation has grown rather fast. The people from the village told the story of how a lone fighter, the White Wolf, defeated two high value criminals and a small army in one night. From there merchants and wandering mercenaries passed the story on to people in larger cities. Soon, the whole of Selius had heard of the 'White Wolf.' "Yeah..Just had a little flashback. That's all." "Well quit daydreaming and help me pick out our next job." "You pick it out. I'm going for a walk." Slipping out the door, Tye cracked his back while he walked down the large empty hallway. Most of the lighting had been extinguished, but the moon's bright glow made things in the castle easily visible. Tye stopped by a window, letting the cool wind blow past him. He could smell the large trees that swayed with the breeze, the vegetation that dotted the landscape. Standing on the windowsill, Tye peered over the edge. Only twenty feet or so. He took a step forward, and fell off. The boy easily landed on his feet. Hardly making a sound, he walked towards the steel gate at the end of the narrow

garden. As he rounded the corner, he could make out a faint voice. It was stern, commanding, and fierce. But it was far away. About three or four miles. "So, does everyone know what their doing?" "Yes Sir!" "Good. Then, as planned, we'll storm the castle at dawn. Get into position and wait for the signal!"

"You!...You're Prince-"

The ground turned a light blue, sending a chill though the air. Large ice spears pierced the sky from the earth below, one of them stabbing the lone mage through the chest. The large crystals then began to slowly melt, covering the city street in cold, clear blue water. Seth took a deep breath and turned away from the scene. _He recognized me..Damn it all.._Shaking himself, Seth ran off down the street. He was met with little resistance, a good sign that the fighting had simmered down. "Bert! Let's finish this off before reinforcements can arrive!" "You got it Commander." Running off, Bert called for the men and took off down another large street. Seth slowed his pace down to a walk as he approached the make shift headquarters on the outskirts of the city. "What's the damage?" Glancing up, several soldiers mumbled under their breath; obviously not at all pleased to by the appearance of such a young Commader. "Well Sir." Piped up one. "The outer walls have been hit the hardest. Also, several homes on the ring of the city have been destroyed. No civilian casualties though." "Good. I want any soldier that isn't fighting to help evacuate the citizens." "Yes Sir!"

"Commander, there's a message for you from Galma." "Hm?" Gazing over his shoulder, Seth caught sight of a skinny messenger boy holding out a white piece of parchment. "Thank you." Taking the letter, Seth read it over rather slowly:

**Commander Seth,**

**This is the update you requested. So far, no sign of any enemy movement within Galma or the surrounding cities. However, one of our spies has spotted a large group of unknown soldiers camping approximately five miles outside Rolburr. We sent out a small band of mercenaries to confirm whether the unknown are allies or enemies. One hour ago, another of our spies returned claiming that the men we sent out had been eliminated. Currently, we do not know if this was done by the suspicious group of soldiers. We also have lost sight of them. I shall send another update when we have more news.**

**Captain Gorr**

_Hm..An enemy attack on Signa..And another possible attack on Rolburr. What are they planning... _"Cancel that last order!" "Sir?" Glancing up, the soldiers stared at one another. "Send all reinforcements to Rolburr. A possible battle is about to unfold. All remaining men will wipe out any resistance and attend to the wounded. Now GO!"

"Alex grab your bow!" "What?" Barging into the room, Tye stuck on his battle gear. "There's an enemy platoon a couple miles outside the city. They're gonna attack at dawn." "But that's an hour away." "Exactly! So grab your bow and let's go!" Alex jumped up from the couch. He ran to his closet and pulled out his bow and quiver. As he ran out the door behind Tye, he could hear shouting from the streets outside. "You told the army didn't you?" "Of course. We'd just massacre everyone by ourselves." A smirk stretched across Alex's face when he heard Tye's remark. "Wait, what about the girls? They're gonna hear all this noise." "I've already asked Cassidy to keep an eye on them. "What? You asked the Princess to watch them!" "Hey, she didn't say no." Alex sighed as he followed Tye down a large flight of stairs towards the castle door. "Unbelievable.."


	6. Secrets Revealed

Ch 6: Secrets revealed

"Push them back! Cut all resistance down!" Sprinting down the crowded streets of Rolburr, Captain Gorr barked order after order to his men. "Round up the sleeping men and get their asses into this fight!" "Sir! There's news from the castle!" "What is it?" "The White Wolf and Jade Eagle have taken out the enemy patrols that tried to storm the castle gates." "Good. Send word to them that we might need a little help on our end." "Right away Sir!" Captain Gorr returned his attention to the scene in front of him. His men had already killed hundreds of soldiers, but the waves of enemies seemed endless. "Shut those gates!" The Captain watched as the incredibly large black steel gates slammed shut, sealing off that side of the city. "Make sure all civilians are safely inside the castle gates! Put the mages and archers near the border! Do not let the enemy get through!" "Need some help?" Looking over his shoulder, Gorr eyed the speaker curiously. "Shouldn't you be with the Princess?" "She instructed me to come fight." Gorr chuckled a little before stepping to the side. "Try not to kill any of my men." "Then tell them to get back." The Captain nodded slowly and turned towards the city gates once more. "Men! Fall back! The Black Cobra is here!"

"No way! The Cobra is here?" "I heard he once killed a thousand men single-handily." "They say getting hit by his whip is like being ripped in two." The soldiers continued to whisper among each other, completely ignoring the Captain's orders. They all were silenced, however, when a lone figure calmly walked through the corpse-filled street. A pair of dark brown boots stomped through the blood covered ground. A pair of pitch black pants were fitted rather tightly around the figure's legs and were neatly tucked into his boots. A black cape hung around his waist, flapping back against the harsh winds. A long-sleeved black jacket was buttoned up and nicely fitted on his torso. Underneath the jacket, barely visible, one could see a chain mail shirt. The collar of the jacket rose up to the figure's cheek, covering his bottom face. Resting at his side safely attached to his belt was a silver whip. The length of it was made of flexible steel, one of the only weapons with that kind of material. On one end lied a leather grip. Near the other end, a small hoop was fastened to the whip. Connected to the hoop were three small spear heads. Along the steel length of the whip, one could make out even smaller spear heads. The weapon, known as a bladed whip, was a myth in the land of Selius. Only a select few had heard of it, let alone seen it. With a large black hood draped over his head, the notorious Black Cobra was the image of death.

Approaching the gate, he unhooked his whip, snapping it to life. "Open the gate." "Y-Yes. Right away." Pushing open the gate, the soldiers watched in fear and awe as the Black Cobra walked out. Standing about sixty yards away, the enemy spied this new opponent. "You send one man to fight us? How weak do you think we are? Kill the bastard!" Weapons raised, the army charged for the Cobra. A small smirk creeped across his face. He leaned forward slightly, weapon at his side, ready to strike. The figure patiently waited for the first few soldiers to run within distance of his whip. Once they had entered his range, the Cobra lunged forward. Although the whip was only four feet, far smaller than a standard whip, it was all he needed to cut down the enemy. He leaped off the ground, spinning through the air towards the oncoming army. Extending his arm, his whip shot out and spun around his body, covering his torso in a spiral of sharp spear heads. Each man in his way was cut down, their bodies dotted with deep gashes and holes. The Black Cobra continued his assault. One soldier dropped after the next. His whip was like a flash of lightning; one second it's there, then it's reappeared elsewhere. The Commander, seeing how quickly his men were falling, turned and ran off. "Retreat! Fall back, all of you!"

**XxXxXx**

"Gah!" "That's another one! I'm up to sixty-seven!" Alex shouted, taking aim at another soldier and sending his arrow straight through his opponent's head. Behind him, Tye slashed down man after man, not even breaking a sweat. "I'm up to eighty." "What?" "You gotta keep up Alex!" Jumping over his friend's head, Tye landed on top of a nearby soldier, driving his blade through the man's chest. "Show off." Smirking back to Alex, Tye stood and wiped off his sword. "Do you think they'll need help over by the gates?" "Nah. I heard the Cobra was dealing with that." "Wow, so the princess sent him into battle after all huh? Wish I could see him fight."

"HELPP!" "Someone help!"

Spinning around, the two boys were met by a soldier from Rolburr. There was an arrow sticking out of his side, and he stumbled to a stop in front of them. "P-Please..They've destroyed the castle wall...Th-They're near the th-thro-..." The soldier collapsed, dead from loss of blood. "Shit! How the hell did they break the wall?" "Who cares! We need to get over there now!" Dashing off down the street, the two slid past several small groups of enemy soldiers. "Hey! Those two are Rolburr mercenaries! Get them!" Shouted one of them, taking off after the duo. "Alex go take care of the wall, I'll handle these morons!" Sliding to a stop, Tye pointed the tip of his blade towards the advancing enemy. "Alright. Catch ya later!" Turning a corner, Alex disappeared, leaving Tye to the handful of soldiers.

Alex ran down the street, bow in hand. He could hear the shouting from the outer walls. The screams were nothing new to the bowman. He had been in fights, far worse than this. Dashing around another turn, Alex neared the small battle erupting in the castle garden. _Damn..The Queen is gonna be pissed when she sees her roses.._ A small shiver ran down his spine. As he reached the broken wall, he noticed nearly all the soldiers were gone. A scout rested underneath one of the large oak trees, his body withered from the earlier battle. "Hey! Where is everyone?" "They chased the enemy into the courtyard. I broke a leg so I can't keep up with them." "Ok. I'm gonna go help them. Try to get to a medic." "Will do." Hopping over the piles of rubble and debris, the bowman ran off into the large courtyard. Once inside, he immediately noticed how quickly the Rolburr soldiers were being cut down. What shocked him though, were the attackers. There were only two of them. Their attacks were synced, almost like a dance. One would block, the other counter, then the first would strike. They were in perfect rhythm. _This is gonna suck.._

Alex climbed up the side of a nearby wall, trying to position himself in the perfect spot. Snatching an arrow from his quiver, Alex aimed for the first assailant. "Come on...Move down..." He impatiently waited for his target to get directly in front of him. The man spun and danced around, cutting down one soldier after the next. It took a minute or so before Alex finally had a good shot. Releasing the string, he eyed the arrow as it flew through the air. "3...2..." "Ahh!" "Damn it. Off by a second." He sighed a bit and dug around in his back pocket. Taking out a piece of paper and pencil, he scratched down a tally mark. "Sixty-eight." Giving himself a smirk, he stuffed the paper and pencil back into his pocket. Glancing into the blood stained yard, Alex caught sight of one of the two opponents. He was lieing on his stomach, an arrow sticking out of his back. "Hm..It went deeper than I thought it would." Shrugging, Alex placed the bow around his torso and stood. On the courtyard itself, the other attacker knelt next to his fallen comrade. "Brother..." He clenched his fists and jumped up. "Where are you!" "Up here!" Glaring towards the sound of the voice, the man locked his gaze on Alex. "Who the hell do you think you are! How dare you kill my brother!" Alex yawned a bit, ignoring the yelling for a brief minute as he fiddled with two sheaths strapped to his upper thigh. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Answer me!" Unhooking the straps, Alex pulled out two short daggers. Tied to the end of each was a jade ribbon about a foot long. The blades themselves, about three feet long each, had a narrow line of the same color running down the silver steel. "What's your name?" The man gritted his teeth, his anger boiling at Alex's calmness. "My name is Vice. I am a Captain in the Desert Army." _So they really are trying to start a war.._ "Well then, Captain Vice. I hope you're a good fighter." Vice clenched his fists once again, and reached behind his back. He drew a long, dual-sided sword from it's scarab. "State your name! I want to know who I'll be killing!"

Smirking, Alex twirled the daggers in his hands, a greenish glow dancing off the blades and ribbon. "You don't recognize me?" Tilting his head, Vice examined Alex more closely. His eyes widened, studying Alex's features carefully. "Y-You...You're the..Jade Eagle." Alex grinned and nodded. "Still wanna fight?" "Of course! I'll avenge my brother's death!" Vice spun his weapon and charged Alex. Chiming up a small whistle, Alex walked to the end of the broken rooftop. Vice climbed up after him and pulled himself up once he reached the top. "Took ya long enough." "Shut up!" "Someone's in a grumpy mood." "You just killed my brother!" "Well it was his own fault. He didn't move fast enough." "...Why you!" Vice's face turned a dark red. He kicked up his double-bladed sword and swung crazily at Alex. He in turn countered each swing, barely missing Vice's clothes. "You're daggers don't give you much range do they!" Spinning around, Vice gathered the strength in his arms and swung his weapon straight for his foe's head. Alex leaned back, the tip of the sword a mere inch from his neck, and locked both their weapons together. "What the?" Giving Vice a smile, Alex flipped back, taking the dual-edged blade with him. Landing on the ground beneath the low rooftop, Alex quickly sheathed his daggers and pulled off his bow. Drawing back an arrow, he aimed it straight for Vice's head. Vice jumped off the side, landing hard onto the ground beneath him. A small stab of pain shot through his leg, giving Alex the opportunity he needed. "It's true that the daggers are short. But I make up for them with my bow. Like an Eagle, I can swoop in from the sky and snatch your life away. " Alex gave Vice another smile as he released his string. The arrow soared through the air. Vice rolled away, but was a second too slow. The arrow had pierced Vice's lower chest. Granted, it was off by a few inches, but Alex was satisfied none the less. He slid the bow back around his torso and walked over to the dying body. "Why are you trying to start a war?" Vice grabbed a hold of Alex's ankle, desperately trying to catch his breath. Alex knelt down next to him and pushed him onto his back. "I'll spare your life if you tell me what your King is planning. "G-Go...die...b-bastard..." "...Fine. Have it your way." Alex stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. A soft whistling passed his lips as he walked away. "Wait...n-no...!" Vice struggled to keep his breathing normal. His lungs had filled with blood, slowly taking away his oxygen. Rolling onto his side, Vice gasped his last breath and closed his eyes. "Br...other.." Glancing over his shoulder, Alex sighed and said a quick prayer before turning and walking off. "Sixty-nine."

**XxXxXx**

"Wow. You guys are boring." Tye sighed, wiping his sword clean. A pile of bodies littered the ground around him. Once the red stains had been removed, he sheathed his weapon and walked through the corpses. Tye examined the armor of each body carefully. He picked up one of their spears and spun it around, eyeing the poor craftsmanship. _These things are worthless..Why the hell were they sent into battle with such pathetic weaponry.._ He dropped the spear. Leaning up against a half destroyed wall, Tye took a deep breathe and cleared his mind. _This is getting weird.. _He stayed there for several minutes, different ideas and motives dancing around in his head. His concentration was soon broken though by a sharp _crack. _"I can see you over there." Tye glanced across the street towards a short tree. Hiding in the branches was a boy. His clothes were dirtied and slightly torn. He looked to be twelve or thirteen. "You can come out now. There aren't any bad guys around." The boy dropped from the tree, but stayed clutching to the trunk. Tilting his head, Tye let a small yawn escape him. "Go home kid. It's not safe out here." "...That was my home.." The boy extended his arm and pointed towards the ruined building at the end of the street. Sighing, Tye pushed himself off the wall and walked over to the boy. He tightened his grip on the tree as Tye approached him and closed his eyes shut. He reopened one eye though, when he felt his shoulder being nudged. The boy looked at Tye curiously. "Hi there." "H-hi.." "I'm Tye." Opening his other eye, the boy loosened his grip on the tree trunk. "Did...you kill all of those guys?" He looked over to where the boy was pointing. "Yeah, I did." "Did it feel...bad?" Tye took a seat next to the child and shook his head. "Not anymore. Those men were trying to kill innocent people. People like you." He gave the boy a warm smile. "So I killed them before they got that chance." "So...why aren't you off killing other bad guys.." "Well something doesn't feel right." "..What do you mean?" "Those guys didn't know how to fight. And those spears were real flimsy." "Oh.." The boy stared at Tye for a minute or so, taking in all of the teen's features. His eyes widened when he saw the bright gold pin that was stuck to Tye's shirt. "Is that from the princess?" "Hm?" Glancing down to his pin, Tye nodded and unhooked the pin. "She gave it to me as a gift. Told me it'd keep me safe." Tye stood and turned towards the city gates. "Where are you going?" "The fighting isn't over. I need to go help the other soldiers." The White Wolf walked off, his trench coat beginning to fly up due to a sudden gust of wind. The boy jumped up and watched him go, his eyes fixated on the large white paw that was engraved on the back of the trench coat. "..No way.." Stopping, Tye turned his torso towards the boy and nodded. "Here, catch!" "Huh?" The boy opened his palms as a gold pin fell into his hands. His wide eyes shot up to look at Tye, who gave him another smile. "Hang on to that for me, ok?" "Uh...ok.."

"Don't hold back! Keep all enemies away from the walls!" Captain Gorr barked, walking back through the streets. "Hold out until reinforcements arrive! Make sure the wounded are treated! Move it!" "Seems like you're having fun." Gorr turned around and gave the newcomer a cold look. "Wolf! Where the hell have you been?" Tye shrugged and stretched his arms. "Taking care of things." "Well I need you to take care of things here! The Cobra is fighting on the outskirts of the city, but we still have a pocket of resistance pushing through the southern walls." "Not for long." Tye unsheathed his blade and dashed off down a side street. He cleared his mind while he ran, throwing out any unnecessary thoughts. His senses sharpened as he closed the distance between him and the walls. His muscles tightened, and his whole body ached for a fight. "This is gonna be fun!"


	7. The Less You Know

Ch 7: The Less You Know..

"Kyrie! Wake up!" "Ugh..Five more minutes mom.." "Kyrie Marie get your ass out of bed now!" "What..." Poking her head out from under the covers, Kyrie sleepily eyed her sister. Brissa was fully dressed, and looked slightly panicked. Examining her, Kyrie noticed Brissa's clothing had changed. She had on a pair of light brown boots that stretched up to her mid-calves. A pair of black tights ran up her legs. Over her torso was a sleeve-less dark pink dress. It cut off in the front at her thigh, but trailed down to her knees in the back. A leather belt was snugly wrapped around her waist. Resting on either side of her hips were a pair of short swords. A pair of black gloves wrapped around her wrist, ending at the middle of each finger. "B..Where'd you get the cool clothes?" "They were in the closet. But you need to get dressed, now! There's a fight going on outside!" "Really?" Kyrie ran out of bed and straight for the window.

"Hey Kyrie! Be careful!" Alex grabbed her shoulder, dragging her away from the window. "Alex? What are you doing?" "Saving you. What else?" "But I wanna see the fight!" "You'll be able to do more than see it. Now get dressed. I'll be waiting outside with Aubrey." "Um...Ok.." Alex gave both girls a small smile then bolted out the room. "Are they almost ready?" "Yeah almost." Aubrey sighed a bit. She wore a pair of knee-high dark blue boots. A short-sleeved white shirt sat comfortably over her frame. A short white skirt continued down her body, stopping at her lower thighs. A dark leather belt sat loosely around her waist. She held a short spear in her hands, which were covered in elbow-length gloves. "Don't look so tense." "Easy for you to say..You and Tye know how to fight!" "It's not that hard. Besides, I'm not gonna take you three straight into battle." "Good!" Laughing, Alex cracked his knuckles and eyed the girl. "I'll give you a few pointers real quick. First, get into a comfortable stance." Aubrey nodded slowly, standing at the ready. "Good. Now make sure the spear is pointed towards your enemy and not the ceiling." "Oh!" She shakily pointed the spear towards Alex. "Now. I'm going to swing at you." "With your fists?" "Yep. Now get ready!" Alex ducked down and swung his fist for Aubrey's legs. She jumped back and cluelessy thrusted the spear at him. "Hey watch it!" "Sorry!" "Make your attacks more precise. Remember, you want to hit them when they're off guard. So keep jabbing at a certain number of spots until you get an opening." "O..k.?"

"Ready!" Skipping out of the room, Kyrie excitedly gripped onto Alex's arm. Her sleeve-less light pink dress came down to her ankles. She wore a pair of knee-high black boots and held a small book in her hand. "So where's the princess?" "I don't know. She led us to our room then left." "Weird. Oh well. Do you all have something to fight with?" Brissa and Aubrey nodded, showing Alex their weapons. "Good. How 'bout you Kyrie?" "Um..I don't know." She showed Alex the small book. "This was on top of my clothes. What is it?" "It's a tome." "A what?" "A spell book. It's magic Kyrie." "Ohhhh. Really?" She opened the book and quickly leafed through the pages. "How do I use it?" "Just do what it says." "Um..Ok." Kyrie studied the pages carefully before closing the book and turning towards the empty hall. "So just do what it says?" "Yep." "Ok...Thunder!" Snapping her fingers, she pointed at the marble floor a few yards in front of her. "Wait Kyrie! Not in here!" A blast of yellow light shot through the hallway, followed by an explosion and a cloud of smoke. Coughing, Kyrie groaned and rubbed her head. "Oww.." Alex sighed and walked down the hallway. "Come on girls. We need to get out of here." "Hey wait! Did I do it? Alex!" Kyrie chased after him, the other two girls running right behind her.

**XxXxXx**

The wind had become even harsher then earlier. Tye walked down the quiet streets of the city. It was too quiet. He couldn't hear the usual sounds of clashing steel and explosions. _Something's wrong here..._ Tye slowly unsheathed his sword, cautiously glancing around the deserted street. "Are you lost little wolf?" Tye's gaze fixated towards the sound of the voice. A black hooded figure slowly walked towards him. Dark red was splashed onto areas of his clothing, and his once bright steel whip was soaked with the blood of his enemies. "Not lost. Just exploring." Tye sheathed his sword and stuffed his hands into his pockets. The Black Cobra stopped next to the boy, keeping his face away from him. "The Commander retreated this way. Did you kill him already?" "Nope. I haven't run into any more soldiers." "Hm..Well if you do see anymore, be sure to make them pay." "Wait." "What?" Tye looked around the street once more. "Something's not right. It's too quiet." The Cobra titled his head up to the sky. The two listened to the silence for several minutes, not saying a word to each other. They didn't have too. Both fighters could feel the eyes of the enemy watching them. "You're right. It's far too quiet." "It's giving me a bad feeling." Nodding, the Cobra walked off. "Kind of like the mayor's house." "..Yeah..Wait..What?" Tye spun around. Alone again, he kicked a corpse. "What the hell was that about.."

"It seems like he didn't care much for your safety." Shifting his eyes to a dark corner of the street, Tye could make out the outline of a large figure. He unsheathed his blade once more. "So that's where you're hiding." A low chuckle carried out around Tye. It's echo played across the streets and buildings, slowly dieing off after a few minutes. Tilting his head, Tye returned the chuckle with his own. "Nice try dumbass. But I don't scare easily. Now get out here so I can kill you." The silhouette moved about in it's corner. Creeping towards Tye, it grew as it neared him. The swordsman dug in his back pocket, drawing several small beads. He threw them onto the ground, generating a bright flash of light. "Ahh! Damn you! That hurt!" The figure rubbed his eyes, his silhouette replaced with a bulky appearance. Laughing, Tye stepped back a few feet. "Wow..You're ugly." "Ugly? I'll show you ugly!" The figure stood up, reaching nearly eight feet in height. His skin seemed green, but Tye couldn't tell in the poor lighting. He had on pitch black armor that covered every inch of his body, except for his neck and hands. The Commander reached over his head and withdrew a broadsword. Gazing up to the head of his new opponent, Tye sighed a bit. "Damn. I was hoping this would be easy.."

**XxXxXx**

It had been almost an hour since the girls left the safety of their room. The castle was dark, and it felt dead to Brissa. As she followed the others, her eyes couldn't help but gaze out the large windows they ran past. The streets were nearly empty. Huge holes had been blown into the pavement. The buildings were knocked over, blown to pieces, or simply gone. She could see the dark red of all the soldiers that had been killed. Brissa felt sick while she ran. Her head began to pound inside her skull, and her legs felt weak. "Hey B! Don't fall behind!" "Huh?" Her body snapped out of it's state and pulled her back into her current situation. "Sorry!" Picking up her pace, Brissa caught up to the others who had ran into what looked like a dining room. "We'll hide out here for now. We can board up the door with the tables and there's a kitchen in here." "Um..Alex. Why aren't you out fighting?" "I thought you all might panic if one of us didn't show." Brissa hit Alex's shoulder. "Ow. What?" "We wouldn't panic." "Ok. So I just came to make sure you three are alright." "That's better." She gave Alex a smug grin, then turned her attention back to the windows. "Where's Tye?" "In the middle of a fight probably. Or he could be on his way here." "I hope so.." Glancing over his shoulder, Alex caught Aubrey leaning against Kyrie. "Don't worry. He's not gonna get hurt. It's Tye, remember?" "Well I guess you're rig-" Aubrey was interrupted with a loud explosion, followed by an even louder screech. "What the hell is that?" "I don't know! But stay down!" The screeching grew louder, shattering the windows.

Suddenly, it stopped. The four had a slight ringing in their ears, but none were harmed. "Ow. Alex what was that?" "Trouble." He pulled the long bow off his torso and drew an arrow from the quiver at his side. "What are you doing?" "Well. I think that screech was a troll. And if it was, then that means we're in for a big fight." "A...what?" "A troll. You know, big ugly looking things." "There's trolls in this world?" "Yeah I wasn't too thrilled either. Hurry, push those tables to the windows." The girls nodded and hurriedly pushed four long tables against the bottom half of the windows. "How is this going to help?" "They'll have to climb over the tables to get in. I'll just shoot them while they're busy. Now go barricade yourselves back in that corner." "No way Alex! We want to fight." "Not right now Kyrie. Just get over there and do it!" A mix of shock and nerves hit the girls as they walked into the corner, doing as Alex said. "Be careful Alex!" He gave them a quick thumbs up before running up the wall and grabbing onto one of the tapestries. Climbing it up, Alex then jumped onto one of the chandeliers that dangled in the center of the dining room. Reading his bow again, he studied the broken windows carefully. Alex had a perfectly clear view of outside. The street was about three or four feet down, so the soldiers would have to climb. The tables would give them another foot and a half. Alex estimated he had about a minute before they crawled over the edge of the tables. And if there were a lot, he'd be able to take out about a third of them. Then there was the troll problem.

Another loud screech rang out in the dining room. Alex tried his best to ignore the piercing sound. He focused on the first window directly across from him. Outside, a small army marched up to the wall. _Shit. There's a lot more than I thought. _Drawing back the string, he waited for the first few soldiers to grab onto the side of the castle and climb. Once they had passed two feet, Alex released the string. Quickly grabbing another arrow, he pulled the string back once more and released it. Each arrow hit it's mark. The enemy outside began dropping off the wall, arrows sticking out of their heads and chests. The girls impatiently waited behind the barricade of tables and chairs. They could hear the shouting from outside. All three of them giggled a little when they heard the Captain barking at his men, telling them to watch out for the platoon of archers inside.

The screeching returned, much louder this time. Alex could see the foot of the troll. It was standing near the far end of the building. Picking out two arrows, he pulled them both back onto the string. "I really hope I don't miss." Letting go, he watched the two arrows soar through the window and straight into the troll's foot. The ground shook slightly due to the monster jumping in pain. "I just bought us some time!" He shouted. "Girls! See if you can find anything hot in the kitchen!" Climbing over their barricade, the three ran into the kitchen. It was spotless. Any food that had been cooking was cold now. "Aubrey start a fire. Kyrie, get out any kind of sauce or soup you can find. I have an idea."

Back in the dining room, Alex continued to bombard the assailants outside with arrows. He was running low though; only half a dozen arrows remained in his quiver. He pissed off the troll too. _This is turning into a crappy fight. _The room shook again, almost knocking Alex off his perch. "Shit! Girls get back in here NOW!" Not hearing a response, Alex slipped the bow over his frame and jumped down from the chandelier. He took off into the kitchen, and found the girls cooking. "What are you doing?" "Making something hot." "Forget that idea! We have to get out of here!" "Why?" The room shook violently, toppling over pots and pans. "That's why! Their breaking down the wall!" Alex grabbed the three of them and pushed them out of the kitchen. "Grab your weapons. Kyrie, I'm gonna need you to blow a hole in the wall." Picking up her tome, Kyrie eyed Alex. "And how am I going to do that?" "Use your magic! Like before, but this time make sure you hit it." "Ok, ok. I'll try.." "Right there." Alex pointed to the center of the wall against the back of the room. "If you blow it out, it should open up into the throne room. We can get out of here through there." "Ok..." Kyrie read through the pages, biting her lower lip while she tried to find an easy spell. She closed the book and turned. Snapping her fingers, Kyrie pointed at the wall. "Fire!" A small ball of glowing red erupted on the wall. "Come onn. FIRE!" The ball expanded with the shout and exploded, revealing a hole. "Hey! It worked!" "Good job. Now we need to go!" The four climbed through the wall and into the throne room. Alex grabbed a nearby table and shoved it into the hole. "Hopefully that'll keep them busy for a couple seconds." Another explosion echoed through the room. A hole appeared at the far end of the room, this one much larger than Kyrie's; large enough for the troll to walk through. "Shit! Run to the throne!"

The girls dashed off down the narrow room to the back of it. Alex unsheathed his daggers and charged the troll. It screeched, spying Alex, and slammed it's fists into the ground. Alex barely dodged the huge hands. He stuck the daggers into the troll's fingers, making it screech out in pain. He slid under the troll's legs, hacking it's ankles as many times as he could. The monster screamed again, stumbling back into the wall. The bowman rolled up and ran to the throne. He was cut off though, by several soldiers. "I don't have time for you morons!" Jumping, Alex bounced off the helmet of one of the soldiers and landed behind them. He kicked one in the back, forcing the man into the others. "Push the throne over! There's a tunnel underneath it!" Aubrey and Brissa knocked the chair over, while Kyrie tried her magic again. "FIRE!" A group of flames erupted around two of the soldiers, catching them on fire. "Nice shot!" Alex ran up to the girls and tried to slide the door underneath the throne. He was tool late though. The door had been bolted from the inside. "Are you fucking kidding me!" Glancing up, Alex stood as the troll ran straight for them. "Get in the corner and stay there!" "But Ale-" "No buts! Go!" The girls slid into the corner behind him and watched their friend roll between the troll's legs. He climbed up it's back, using his daggers as hooks. The troll screamed out again, trying to grab Alex. Once he had reached the back of the troll's neck, Alex tugged off his bow. Drawing the string back, he fired an arrow into the beast's neck. The monster's screeching blasted throughout the room. It spun around, throwing Alex off it's back. "Alex!"

The bowman hit the ground hard, but was able to pull himself up. "Ouch.." "Alex are you ok!" "Yeah, I'm fine!" Shaking his head, he reached for the bow. Drawing the string back once more, Alex fired another arrow into the troll's neck. The troll angrily charged at Alex, ignoring the last few arrows that hit his flesh. Alex turned and ran, looking over his shoulder. "Fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck!" Kicking the enemy soldiers again, Alex jumped over them and ran for the door. The troll inched closer to him, swinging it's fists crazily. Alex pushed open the door, and froze in his tracks. "Perfect.."


	8. Unbroken Ties

Ch 8: Unbroken Ties

Alex gaped at the tall figure in front of him. Black armor covered the entire length of the body. The only visible areas of skin were the figure's hands and neck, which appeared green to Alex. The figure slowly stomped towards the bowman. Alex was stuck between two giants. He had to pick which one to take down first; this new fighter, or the troll. _Shit! I forgot about the troll! _Alex dove away from the fist that slammed down on his previous spot. His newest problem simply stood in the doorway. His presence seemed almost invisible to the rest of the room. Not taking any chances, Alex charged the giant soldier. He was stopped, however, by a slight tug on his shoulder. He glanced at the hand that was holding him back. Alex followed the hand up the arm to the body. Before he could say anything, the giant in black groaned in agony, toppling over onto the ground. The back of the soldier's armor had been cut open in the shape of a giant paw print. If one were to remove the armor completely, one would find the giant's flesh had a carving of a paw print also. Alex glared at Tye, who still had a hold on his shoulder. "Don't scare me like that!" "Giving his friend a grin, Tye released his grip on Alex. "I wanted to have some fun." "So scaring me to death is fun?" "Well yeah." "You bastard!" "Hey Alex." "What!" "There's a troll behind you." "...Damn it.."

The two rolled away from the troll. "Why haven't you killed this thing yet!" "Do you not see how big it is!" Tye heaved a deep sigh. "Ok then, let's kill it!" Alex gave his friend a nod and turned to the troll. He took the last arrow in his quiver and readily pulled the string back. "I'm gonna hit it's eye. You do that beast thing you do and rip it's heart out!" "It's a wolf.." Tye mumbled. Alex aimed for the troll's eye, waiting for the monster to get into the right position. Once he had a clear shot, he freed the arrow from it's string. "Go Tye!" But Tye had already ran at the monster. The boy tossed his sword to the ground, and leaned forward. His senses focused, causing a white aura to form around him. Tye jumped straight for the troll. A loud snarl echoed throughout the tattered throne room. The girls watched Tye grab onto the troll's skin and begin hacking away at the chest. His hands moved at an incredible speed, almost inhuman. While he dug into the monster's chest, it frantically tried to grab Tye. But every possible opportunity was knocked away by Alex's sharp jabs from his daggers. The troll stumbled back against the wall. It's screams shook the room. "Tye hurry up already!" Gazing down to his friend, Tye nodded his head towards the girls. "Oh fuck..Ok!" Alex took off running down the room. "Girls find some cover!" The three nodded and crawled behind a pile of rubble. Alex soon joined them. "Keep your heads down." "Why? What's Tye gonna do?" "He's gonna rip it's heart out."

Meanwhile, Tye was busily ripping off pieces of flesh. He steadily destroyed the monster's chest until he felt the heart was in reach. Tye kicked off the troll, landing several feet away. A howl shook the room, drowning out the screaming troll. Tye had been replaced by a large white wolf. It's fur appeared smooth. Crystal blue eyes fixated on the thing in front of it. The wolf leaped into the air, mouth wide open, and rammed through the troll's chest. Green liquids shot everywhere, drenching the room. A paw print was scarred into the monster's back, and it glowed slightly as the thing stumbled over. The wolf had vanished, and Tye stood in it's place. Blood ran down the side of his face, and he wiped some of it out of his eyes. Alex peaked over the pile of rubble, almost bursting into laughter at the sight. The enemy soldiers that still remained stared at Tye in pure fear. He took a step towards them, letting out a somewhat evil laugh. The soldiers responded by dashing out the door. "Nice job. But you do know they're gonna make us clean all this up." Tye leaned his ragged body against a wall and slid down to the floor. "Yeah probably. But right now I don't give a fuck.." Alex flopped down next to him. "Hey Alex. Your arm is bleeding pretty badly." "Really?" The bowman examined his limb. A deep gash was visible on his forearm. Blood trickled down his wrist to the floor, creating a small puddle. "Huh. Wonder when I got that." Tye laughed a little and gave Alex a soft punch on his shoulder. "How do we always end up in these kinda situations." Alex shook his head and called the girls over. "We're just lucky I guess.."

"Are you two ok?" "Of course we are." Alex tilted his head to his arm. "I don't know if I'm so great though.." Tye grabbed Alex's arm and examined it. "Damn it Alex!" "..What..?" Alex grinned a bit. His breathing became heavier. "Girls stay here with him. I need to go grab some things." "Ok." Alex slumped onto his side, fading in and out of consciousness. "I'm...fine...Tye..re..all..y.." His eyes slowly closed shut. His breathing became short and rapid. Alex's mind became distant, snapping back to a few days after he had arrived in Selius...

**XxXxXx**

_**"Well that was fun." Alex walked into his room, tossing the bow that was once in his grip onto the bed. He dropped down into a chair and leaned back. "Another great day of training." He yawned a little, stretching his arms and legs while he sat in the chair. A sharp knocking came from the door. "Yeah?" Walking in, a young girl holding a rather big quiver shyly gazed around. "Um..Alex. You..left your quiver at the archery range.." "Hm?" Alex leaned his head over the back of the chair. "Oh. Hey Marissa." He stood and walked over to her. She nervously handed him his quiver, which he took and tossed onto the bed next to his bow. "You shouldn't treat your weapons like that.." Alex looked down at her and laughed a little. "It's not gonna break. It's supposed to last a long time. So tossing it around every once in a while is ok." The girl nodded, her eyes glued to the floor. "Hey, what's wrong?" "Um..it's nothing.." Alex kneeled down next to her and gave her a small nudge. "Are those boys picking on you again?" Holding back a few tears, Marissa quietly nodded. "What a bunch of pinheads." He stood up and walked out. "H-Hey wait!" Marissa ran out after him. She stayed close to his side during their walk to the central courtyard. Alex smiled a little, noticing she had grabbed onto his pants. The two had been seen together all the time. Many people thought the two were siblings since they looked oddly similar. Like Alex, Marissa had dirty blonde hair that ran down to her lower back. She had light blue eyes that sparkled with the sunlight. A big pink bow stuck out of her hair, and she wore a dark yellow dress that cut off at her ankles. **_

_**Even though he's only known her for a few days, she was like a sister to Alex. He had never had a sister, and enjoyed being a big brother. Marissa also loved having a big brother; although at times it seemed like she had two. Tye had taking a liking to Marissa as well. She saw both of them as her family, regardless of how short she's known them. Turning a corner, the two walked out into the large green courtyard. The grass was freshly cut, and flowers dotted the surface. Near the center of the courtyard were a small group of four boys; all about Marissa's age. "Hey!" The boys froze, not daring to turn towards Alex. They knew why he was there. "Man..She's such a tattle-tale.." "Yeah..I bet she cried for him just so he'd come down here." **_

_**"Why would you think that?" "Ah!" The boys jumped back in slight panic. Alex leaned on one of the many pillars that stood around the courtyard, a toothpick in his mouth, and little Marissa clinging to his pant leg. "Why are you all so mean to Marissa, huh? What'd she do?" "She didn't **_**do ****_anything. She's just too slow." "So what?" "So she can't play if she's too slow." "Really now?" Glancing down to Marissa, Alex laughed. "Hey. Do you wanna learn how to shoot a bow?" "Really? You'd show us!" "That'd be awesome!" "I wasn't talking to you four." "What?" Alex nodded down to the little girl attached to him. "Marissa here gets to learn how to shoot a bow." "But why her?" "'Cause you all are playing here. And since she can't play with you I'm gonna teach her how to use a bow." "That's not fair!"_**

_**"Yes it is." "Huh?" The four turned around. They all quickly huddled together and slid away as the princess walked into the courtyard. "You boys are far too harsh on little Marissa. So you won't be learning how to shoot a bow. Now go play." "..Yes princess.." The group walked up, mumbling under their breaths. Alex, trying to hold back another laugh, pulled out his toothpick. "You didn't have to do that ya know." She giggled quietly, giving Marissa a warm smile. "I know. But those boys always pick on her." Marissa slowly nodded, tugging on Alex's pant. "What's wrong?" "..Fire." "Huh?" Marissa pointed to the outskirts of the city. Black smoke could be seen rising out from the ground, along with the tops of flames. "Uh-oh! Marissa stay with the princess, ok?" "O..Ok." Alex ran off down the courtyard and down the hallway towards the city gates. Marissa sniffled a little and took a seat on the grass. The princess smiled and sat down next to her. "Don't worry Marissa. He'll be back." **_

_**Alex dashed down the streets to the gates, which were being closed. "Hey! Keep those open!" "We can't! The local bandits have set fire to the village on the outskirts. If they get into the city, they might burn it down as well!" Alex didn't slow his pace, he did the opposite; he ran faster. "Then wait until I'm through!" "What!" Alex bolted through the gates before they slammed shut. "Are you crazy?" "Probably. Hey, toss me your bow." "Huh?" "The bow. Give it to me. And the quiver." "Um..Ok.." The guard slid his bow and quiver through the gates. Alex took them and studied both for a few seconds. "Not bad. Listen. If I'm not back in an hour, send a scouting unit to the village." "Right.." Alex tossed the quiver over his back with the bow inside. Jetting off down the large rolling grasslands, he made his way to the burning village. It was almost extinguished by now. Luckily, only a few of the homes had been destroyed. Alex spent several minutes helping anyone he could. Much of the debris had trapped some of the townspeople. He helped free them all, then went off to explore the unburnt side of the village. He retreated back, however, when he spied the local bandits destroying some of the cottages. **_**Damn. I can't take all these guys on with just a bow.. I'm gonna have to do this quietly. ****_He climbed up onto the roof of one of the homes and studied the scene. Seven men. Each one had their weapon either on them or close to them. They were close together, so he'd have to wait for them to separate. But he could easily take them all out one by one. Alex jumped to another roof, and patiently waited for the thugs to disperse. _**

_**About ten minutes past before they moved. One of the bandits, Alex could only guess was the leader, ordered two of the men to go check the town for anything else they could take. Alex closely followed the two from the roofs. He waited until they were a fair distance from the other men, and picked his first target. One of the two had turned his back to his comrade, who was trying to break down a door. Alex hopped onto the roof of the house they were trying to ransack. He pulled the bow out of the quiver and readied it with an arrow. Aiming towards the solitary one, Alex fired the arrow into the man's head. Thanks to the loud bashing from the other, he didn't hear his companion drop down dead. Alex then hopped down behind the second assailant. Sneaking up on him, the bowman wrapped his arm around the man's neck. He quickly kicked the man's feet out from underneath him, and snapped his neck as he fell to the ground. **_**Two down. ****_Alex hurriedly dragged the bodies into a set of nearby trees before climbing back up to the roof. He ran back to the five remaining thugs just in time to see one head straight for him; no doubt going to check on the two that had left earlier. Without hesitation, Alex jumped from the roof and landed on top of the man; ramming an arrow into his chest and silencing him._**

**Four more. _Alex hid the body in the bushes, returning to the roofs. The four that were left seemed more tense then before. They were probably wondering why none of the others have returned. Alex examined the four carefully, trying to pick his next target. He wanted to save the apparent leader for last, seeing as he'd be more difficult to take down due to his large size. So he had to pick one of the three, but Alex couldn't strike with them all together. Then, an idea popped into his head. Looking into the sky, Alex caught sight of an eagle flying low over the village. He gave a sharp whistle, which __sounded similar to the eagle. The great bird dove down to Alex, landing on the roof next to him. _Cool. _Alex gave the bird two more sharp whistles and pointed to one of the men. The eagle swooped into the air, and began circling around the group of thugs. It's claws extended, the eagle dove down straight for them. It slammed into one of the bandit's face, pushing him back. While the other two were preoccupied, Alex dropped down behind them and snapped the first's neck. He then kicked the second into the side of a house. "Huh?" Looking at the dead body, Alex noticed something shining in the pocket. He rolled the corpse over and pulled out a large jade diamond. "Damn. I wonder where he got this." "Hey!" "Eh?" Alex gazed up. The man he had kicked into the house had recovered, faster than Alex would've liked, and was walking towards him. "What do you think you're doing, huh?" "Well isn't it obvious? I'm killing you all off." "What? Why the hell are you doing that? Are you some kinda assassin?" "Nope. Not an assassin. Just a vigilante." Alex withdrew the bow and readied it once again. "Tell ya what. If you can dodge my arrow, I'll let you live." The thug, slightly terrified, bellowed a loud scream and charged the bowman. "You think one puny arrow can stop me! You're dead!" Alex shrugged his shoulders a little, pulling back the string. "You're funeral." He released the arrow, giving the eagle another sharp whistle. It was followed by a loud groan. "Hm?" The arrow had hit the thug's neck, and he had toppled over. "Damn it! I missed his head.." He heaved a small sigh. The bird had flew off, leaving it's prey, the leader, beaten down. Alex kneeled next to the man. "B..Bastard..who the hell..do you think you...are.." The twenty year old stood, tossing the jade in his hand. "I'll let you figure that out." The leader, barely conscious, noticed the glint of the jade. A loud screech from the eagle echoed through the village as he fell unconscious. _**

_**Watching behind Alex was a scouting unit sent by the castle guards. The group stared at the warrior in awe. One of them gazed up to the eagle, which circled around the village, then glanced at the jade in Alex's hand. "The Jade...Eagle.." "Hm?" Turning Alex stared at the man. "The what?" "That gem you have. It's called the Jade Eagle." "This old thing?" The boy studied the gem. "Yes. It's said the Jade has a mystical power that allows a person to communicate with the mighty bird." "And...you think that person is me?" "Yes." Alex continued to stare at the soldier for several seconds before bursting out into laughter. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" "It's true you knuckle head." "Eh?" Glancing up, Alex's eyes met Tye's. The swordsman was sitting on the roof, munching on an apple. "Nice job by the way. Very assassin like. It fits you." "How long have you been here?" "I don't know. Twenty minutes or so." "And you couldn't help me out!" "Nah. I didn't feel like fighting." Alex heaved a heavy sigh. "You're a dumbass Tye." "Yeah I know." The younger of the two dropped from the roof. "Hey I like the new name too. It suits you." "What name?" "The Jade Eagle." Alex gazed down at the gem in his hands. "Huh...I like the sound of that.." "About time you had an alias." Tye patted Alex on the back, throwing the eaten apple into the bushes behind him. Alex in turn smacked his friend across the face. "Ow! What the hell you jackass!" "That's for not helping me." "Bastard..." Tye mumbled, shoving Alex back a bit. The older boy gave Tye a smug grin before turning to the guards. "Go spread the word! Rolburr now has a White Wolf and Jade Eagle in their army!" **_

_**"Alex! Tye!" Running up to the two, Marissa grabbed a hold of both their pant legs. "Hey there Marissa. "Laughed Tye. "Marissa was worried about you two." The boys quickly gave a small bow to the princess. "I told you I'd be right back." The girl tightened her grip on Alex's leg, giving him a nod. "Are the villagers alright?" "Yeah. A few houses are burnt down, but they'll survive." "That's good.." "Your highness!" "Hm?" The three gazed over to the guard approaching them. "Princess. I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's news of another attack." "Where?" "I'm not sure your highness. But I was ordered to take you to a safe location." The guard gave Alex and Tye a small nod as he escorted the princess into the castle. "Marissa. You can stay with me. It's much safer." She shook her head, still attached to Alex and Tye. "It's ok Marissa. You can go with her." Before the girl had a chance to respond, the ground beneath them shook violently. Icebergs strutted out of the ground, and the air chilled. "Get the princess out of here now!" "Y-Yes, right away!" The two disappeared around the corner, leaving Tye and Alex with Marissa and a bombardment of magic. "We need to get her to a safe place Alex!" "I know! I'll take her to the throne room, you go find out who's trying to freeze us!" Alex scooped the frightened Marissa into his arms. "Hang on tight!" He darted off down the hall to the north side of the castle.**_

_**Alex could smell smoke traveling through the castle. Everyone had been evacuated already. Only a handful of guards and soldiers remained. "What's going on?" "The local bandits have rallied far more members than we originally thought..They've invaded the city and are burning everything to the ground!"**_


	9. Inner Strength

Ch 9: Inner Strength

_**Smoke rose up around the city limits. A number of buildings were ablaze with red and orange flames; several of the fires began to spread throughout the city streets. Tye jumped around the courtyard, dodging random icebergs erupting from the earth underneath him. His eyes caught a glimpse of a rather lanky man standing near the rear of the courtyard. A black book was in his grasp, and his gaze darted about the yard. **_**There you are! ****_Tye kicked off the ground, launching himself into the air. He landed gracefully on the ground behind the newest ice tower. The boy darted for the mage. He gave a sharp whistle, which immediately caught the mage off guard. Giving Tye a slight scream, the magician ran down the hallway. "Oh no you don't!" Tye's speed picked up incredibly. He reached the mage within a second, and shoved his sword through the man's chest. He in turn shrieked out in pain and toppled over onto the ground. Blood gushed from the new hole that covered the middle of his torso. Tye tugged the blade out of the body. He withdrew a cloth and wiped off his weapon, returning it to the sheath hat his side. "Little fucker.." _**

**XxXxXx**

_**"Alex, where are we going?" "To the throne room. You'll be safe there." Still in his arms, Marissa clung tightly to the boy's sleeve. The shouting of the the nearby fight grew as he bolted past the windows. **_**I don't get it. Why the hell are they attacking us? ****_Rounding a corner, Alex slowed his pace. He had reached the large wooden door that enclosed the entrance to the throne room. He was a little concerned about just waltzing in, but he didn't have time to worry about that. Alex kicked the door open, relieved to see the empty room. He set Marissa down and nudged her forward. "Go hide over there under the table. I need to lock this door." "Um...ok.." The girl walked to the large closest to the throne and took a seat underneath it. Alex, meanwhile, grabbed any heavy piece of furniture within his grasp and pushed it against the door. Since dead-bolt locks didn't exist in this world, he had to make due with whatever he could get his hands on. "You ok Marissa!" "Uh-huh.." The twenty year old continued to stuff all the furniture in front of the door, hoping this would hold off any of the thugs that had made their way into the castle. He forgot one very important detail though. The windows. _**

_**Glass shattered, spraying out along the room. A group of bandits climbed through the windows, their weapons at the ready. "Shit!" Refusing to give them a chance to draw their weapons, Alex tugged off his bow and, loading the first arrow onto the string, fired. The closest bandit dropped, catching the others off guard. "Get 'em!" A second later, another two dropped to the floor. The last handful of men hesitantly crept closer to the bowman. Alex decided to give them a fighting chance, even though it wouldn't save them, and tossed the bow behind him. He then reached for the sheathed daggers at his hip. Grasping the leather, he withdrew the two weapons. "I'll give ya one chance. Surrender and I won't hurt you." One of the men burst out laughing before nodding to Alex. "Rip him apart boys." "Welp, I warned ya." Alex spun the twin daggers in his hands and began to walk towards them. A whistle escaped his lips, and he eyed the group curiously. **_**I think I'm gonna have some fun with these guys. ****_The whistle grew into a song, which no one would recognize except for Alex. The closest thug whipped out the axe that rested on his back, swinging it for Alex's head. The boy dropped down onto his knees and jabbed the dagger into his opponent's gut. His foot slid out, knocking the assailant to the ground. Spinning back up, Alex did a small dance in front of them. "What the...Hey buddy what's wrong with you?" The boy gave them a wink and slid away. "Hey! Stop him!" Another thug tugged the dual axes he wore on his back. He jabbed and swung the weapons at Alex, who ducked and rolled away; all the while whistling a song. _**

_**"Damn it hold still you freak!" He continued to dance around, dodging the onslaught of attacks. He was having fun for a change. While he danced and fought, the bandit farthest from him snuck away to the back of the throne room. The boy slid back, his lips silencing themselves for a brief moment. He had caught sight of Marissa. She was still hiding under the table, scared stiff. The thug that had creeped away had spotted the small girl. "Ok fun's over." Alex straightened up and cracked his neck. He sheathed his daggers and threw his bow into the air. Jumping up after it, he fitted an arrow onto the string and released it. One after the other, Alex fired each arrow into one of the bandits while he fell. By the time he landed back onto the ground, only one thug remained. The boy froze where he stood. His grip on the bow tightened and he gritted his teeth. He had her. He had Marissa. **_

_**"Let her go!" "Why? She's my leverage." Chuckling, the man held the tip of a short sword to the girl's throat. "I'm warning you!" "If you want her to live then drop your weapons." Alex hesitated for a moment. His mind whirled, desperately trying to think up some way to stop this guy. Drawing a blank, he tossed the bow onto the ground. "The daggers too." Alex unsheathed the short blades at his side and threw them down next to the bow. "Now let her go." "Heh. Not yet." The thug darted for the window. He jumped through the opening, Marissa still in his arms, and ran off down the street. "Fuck!" Alex hurriedly jumped out after him. He kept a short gap between them, staying close on the man. The thug bolted around a corner, with Alex right on his heels. A surge of adrenaline gave Alex the edge he needed. The boy ran past the kidnapper, clothes-lining him a few feet ahead. Marissa flew out of the man's arms and safely into Alex's. "You ok?" She nodded, holding back a few tears. "Good." Setting the girl down, he patted her head. "Now I need you to hide here for me, ok?" "..ok." Alex turned towards the bandit. He was mad now. "You've got some nerve taking her like that." The boy cracked his knuckles. A dark aura grew around him while he walked towards the thug. As the man stood, a fist collided with the side of his head. Another punched him in the gut, followed by a third to the face. He put up his arm to block a fourth hit, but Alex countered with a hard kick to the ribs. A second kick smashed into the man's neck, knocking him several yards back. "I'm gonna break every bone in your fucking body!" **_

_**For what seemed like seconds, Alex beat the life out of the thug. Grasping his shirt and holding him off the ground, Alex glared at him. He had never gotten this mad before. He could feel the anger boiling up inside him. He wanted to kill the bastard. On his last breath, the assailant stared at the boy and laughed. Alex screamed out and punched the man in the throat, killing him instantly. He clenched his blood covered fist as he dropped the body. The boy stumbled back and fell on his bottom, gritting his teeth. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. "..Alex?" "Hm?" The boy looked up, seeing a slightly happy Marissa staring at him. "If you're so tired then you should get more sleep silly." Alex blinked a couple times, a look of confusion stuck on his face, then burst out laughing. The girl smiled and giggled. The two seemed so peaceful together. **_

_**Suddenly, Marissa stopped smiling. She cocked her head to the side and stared at Alex. He stared back, wide eyed. His gaze then traveled down to his chest. An arrow was lodged inside him. But when he glanced to Marissa, his body froze. The arrow had hit her also, completely going through her. A good distance away, an archer glared at the two. He had missed the girl's heart, but the amount of blood loss would have to do. Plus, he had hit the man in the chest, so they should be dead within the hour. He packed up his equipment and walked away, leaving the two. Alex couldn't move. His mind was blank, his heart cold. "..A..lex. What's...wrong.." Holding back tears, he shook his head and gave her a weak smile. "It's nothing. Come on.." He stood and scooped her up into his arms. "Why...are..you bleeding.." She was bleeding heavily, and Alex knew he only had a few minutes. "Alex...there's..an arrow.." Don't worry about it..We need to take care of you first." He ran off towards the castle, ignoring the jabs of pain from his chest. "You'll be alright..don't worry.."**_

**XxXxX**

Alex stood at the side of a large bed. His arm was bandaged up, and he was shirtless. He stared down at the little girl sleeping. She looked pale, mostly from the wound. It had been four days since that horrible night. _So much has happened since then.. _He grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed. Luckily, the arrow had missed her organs. But due to the large amount of blood loss, Marissa would need several weeks to recover. A scar was branded on Alex's chest, his hand grazing it as his mind flashed back. The girl moved around, yawning a little. A smile swept over Alex as he watched her sleep. He cracked his neck and leaned back in the chair. Sleep came over him, shutting his eyes and relaxing his body. Images played along in his mind, sending him to a peaceful place while he slept next to the little girl.

The clear moonlit sky stretched across the rolling hills. The full moon gave a bright light to the dark night. The castle stood magnificently in the eery light. Tye gazed out over the hills and oceans of grass. His trench coat blew wildly in the wind. A large white paw print had been painted onto the back of the coat, making sure everyone knew who he was. The white paw had become more infamous than famous. But Tye liked it that way. "What are you thinking about?" "Hm?" Glancing behind him, his crystal blue eyes gazed at the princess. She walked closer to the boy, her dress blowing with the wind. Tye stood there for several minutes before finally answering her. "There's something I need you to look at. I found it the first day I was here, but don't have a clue what to do with it." Tye nodded towards the object that rested near the wall. It was wrapped in a black cloth, and seemed rather bulky. The princess kneeled down next to the object and unwrapped it. Her eyes widened, a slight gasp escaping her lips. Turning his head, the boy stared at the princess with a look of confusion. "What?" "Where exactly did you find this?" "In a pile of hay if you can believe it." The girl picked up the axe and examined it carefully. "Tye..Do you know what this is.." "A weird axe?" "Not just an axe..This is the Stellix. The Axe of Rolburr." "Come again?" Tye hopped off the wall and tilted his side to the side. "I thought the axe was hidden away in the treasury." The girl shook her head, continuing to examine the weapon in her hands. "It was stolen almost fifty years ago. No one has seen it since then. Rumors spread that it had been broken down and forged into another weapon." She gazed up at Tye and handed him the axe. "It is yours now." "What?" Tye took a step back, studying the princess' serious expression. "Why is it mine?" "Because you are it's rightful owner. The reason you were able to find it was because it called out to you." "The axe...called out to me.." The girl nodded, motioning for him to take it. _How the hell does that work? _Grabbing the hilt, Tye loosely swung the axe around. "Damn it. I can't fight with this." "Why not?" "It's an axe. I hate axes." Sighing some, the princess stood and gazed out to the horizon. "..Regardless. It is yours Tye." The boy heaved a sigh himself and flopped onto the ground. "What makes this thing so special anyways?" Without turning, the princess giggled.

"The magic concealed within that axe is beyond any current magic. Because it's been dormant for so many years, the magic has built up, making it stronger." "..Right..So what do I do with it?" "You use it to fight." "But I just told you I hate axes and can't fight with them. They're too...I don't know, weird." Giggling again, the princess turned to Tye and extended her hand. "I think I have an idea. Give me the axe and come see me tomorrow in the castle garden." "Um...ok." He handed the weapon to her and watched the princess stroll through the wooden door that led into the castle. Shifting back to the scene outside the castle, Tye sighed again and shook the bangs out of his eyes. _This'll be interesting.._

**XxXxX**

"Ok! Who's ready for some training!" Kyrie excitedly jumped around the room, shoving Brissa and Aubrey out of their beds. "Ky, it's still early. Training doesn't start for another hour.." "I know. But I'm too excited to sleep." "Why don't you go find the boys. I'm sure they're already up." "Ohh good idea! Thanks B!" Pushing the two back into their beds, Kyrie ran out the door. She skipped along the corridors, aimlessly searching for one of the boys. Her ears caught the sound of a soft whistle coming from a room at the end of one of the corridors. _That sounds like Alex. _She ran off to the door, sliding up to it quietly and putting her ear to it. Inside, she could hear voices. One sounded like Alex, but she didn't recognize the other.

"How is she?" "Much better then yesterday. Her wounds are healing rapidly. She should be back to full health within the next week or so." "Thanks Doc. What do I owe you?" "This one's free." Hearing footsteps, the girl outside the room dashed behind the corner. She caught sight of Alex walking out of the room, followed by an older looking man with a briefcase. The two shook hands, and the older walked off down the hall, leaving Alex alone at the door. "Ky I know you're over there. ""Eh?" Poking her head out from behind the corner, she gave her friend a sheepish smile. "Sorry Alex. I was looking for you and overheard your conversation." The boy returned the smile with his own and motioned her over. "It's alright. There's someone I want you to meet." "Really?" Curiosity swept over the girl as she walked up to Alex and followed him into the dark room. The long purple curtains covered the windows, letting in only a tad bit of light. A big red couch rested snuggly against the wall. Across from that was another red couch; a table sat in between them. The two walked over to the bed, and Alex nodded to the small girl laying there. "This is Marissa." Kyrie looked from Alex to the little girl and back. "Is she from where we're from?" "No. She lives here in the city. A few days ago she got into an accident, and I've been kinda taking care of her since then." Marissa coughed, startling the two. "Big brother.." "I'm right here Marissa. And I have a friend I want you to meet." Kyrie stared at Alex, somewhat in shock. _Big brother?_


	10. Training Day

Ch. 10: Training Day

Morning finally came, the warm sun shining along the land of Selius. Seth leaned against a marble wall. A piece of paper layed in front of him on the floor.

**Commander Seth:**

**The apparent enemy has attacked the city of Rolburr, but have been routed. No serious casualties to report, however much of Rolburr is in ruin. I will send another update within the week.**

**Captain Gorr**

The knight gazed out over the ruined city of Signa. His thoughts were centered around the disaster before him and the city of Rolburr. Two major cities. Both attacked within the same time period; it wasn't coincidence. Seth fiddled with the hilt of his sword as his eyes peeled away from the scenery outside to the bright room he was in. The marble flooring and walls shined due to the sunlight, causing him to squint a little. A single chair rested in the middle of the room. Tied to the chair, gagged and bound, was a short man in black armor. Seth had recently finished interrogating him, but gathered little information.

The enemy soldiers were calling themselves allies of the Desert Kingdom. They were ordered by the General to attack specific cities on certain days of the year. From what Seth could tell, the General had overthrown the King and took control of the mysterious kingdom. _Father..be safe.._ The knight closed his eyes and allowed a deep sigh to escape him. Although glad that the King wasn't behind this upcoming war, Seth knew the road ahead was going to be harsh. The head General of the Desert Kingdom; Samil. His infamous reputation had made him the image of death. Recently, however, with the arrival of the White Wolf and Jade Eagle of Rolburr, Samil's reputation was slipping. Still, Seth knew the General's ways. The man was extreme when it came to a fight. He'd sacrifice everything he held dear for one single victory. It's this incredible lust for a fight that gave the General the name that haunts the lands of Selius to this day; The Bloody General.

Seth couldn't worry about that man now though. He had a mission to carry out. But, at the moment, that mission was put on hold. So Seth leaned farther back against the cool marble wall and closed his eyes. His body relaxed while his mind wandered about inside his head. Images of lushes gardens and crystal clear waterfalls enveloped his sense. The knight could smell the dozens of plants and feel the crisp morning air brush against his skin. A girl was walking into a beautifully clear blue lake. Her skin was perfect, and rose red lips stretched into a smile. Her clothes dropped off her form as she slid into the water, motioning him in. He slowly followed in after her, their bodies embracing each other in their perfect world.

"Commander!" Seth snapped awake. He pushed himself off the floor, rubbing the back of his slightly stiff neck. His eyes focused on the hefty Captain standing in the doorway. "Sir. There's a message for you from Tellius." "Tellius?" He mimicked. "What the blazes do they want?" Moving over to the Captain, he grabbed the piece of parchment. His eyes narrowed and a sigh escaped him. "Ready the men. This battle isn't over yet."

**XxXxXx**

"You've got to be kidding me.." Brissa flopped down onto the ground, staring up at Tye. "You're going to teach me how to fight?" "Yep." "What about Aubrey?" "I don't know how to use a spear." The girl gave her friend a look of annoyance before standing back up. "You wanted to teach me didn't you?" "Eh. I thought it'd be fun." Brissa playfully shoved Tye back. "I could leave if you want." "No, no." She giggled a little and unsheathed her swords. "Teach me how to fight." "Ok." Tye drew his own weapon, and swung it at her. "Ah! Hey!" Brissa ducked and jumped back. "Are you nuts?" "This is how you'll learn to fight. Just try to block my attacks." Blinking, she sighed a bit and shook her head. "You are nuts.." The girl bit her bottom lip and raised her weapons. "Ok, let's go." Her friend nodded and swung his sword again at her. She loosely blocked it, almost loosing her grip on the sword. Tye attacked again, correcting her after each blow. "Move your feet faster! Grab onto the hilts tighter, you don't want to lose them. Don't look at your feet, look at me. There you go." She blocked another strike from him, and tried to counter back. But Tye easily grabbed her wrist and pushed her back. "Only counter when you have a clear opening." Tye spun his sword around in front of her, hacking away at the air around her. "Remember B. You have two swords, not one." Brissa took a deep breath and swung one of the blades towards Tye. He blocked it. The girl's second blade swooped up from beneath her. Tye grabbed a hold of her wrist once more, sidestepping past the oncoming attack. His hand tightened on her wrist and yanked her off balance. "Ow! Hey watch it Tye." The boy released his grip and gave her a smirk. "If I were an enemy soldier, I wouldn't have let go. You gotta think one step ahead of your opponent. Try to think up what will happen next." The girl tilted her head to the side as her mind pondered the advice. "Think what'll happen next..I think I got it.." "Good. Then try to knock me off my feet." Sheathing his sword, Tye cracked his knuckles and gave her another smirk. Brissa spun the twin blades around and swung for his body. Her thoughts focused on each attack, honing in on every aspect of the fight. _This is so weird..It almost feels natural..._ Brissa's arms reacted on their own, moving about in an elegant dance almost. Her entire body enveloped itself into the battle. Her mind raised with excitement. She could feel each swing becoming more precise, more powerful. _How am I doing this? _"That's it. Don't loose that focus B." Tye rolled under an oncoming swing and hopped up onto a stack of barrels. The girl jabbed the bottom two, pulling them out from underneath her friend. Tye quickly flipped back onto the earth behind the falling barrels, kicking one of them away. "Smart move B." The swordsman unsheathed his blade once more and slid into a low stance. "Now I'm gonna have to go all out on you." Giving him an evil smile, Brissa, almost instinctively, slid into her own stance. "Don't get upset if I beat you, ok?"

**XxXxXx**

"FIRE!" "Ah! Hey watch it Kyrie!" "Huh?" Kyrie peeked over her shoulder to Alex. He had jumped out of the way of the fire ball that had exploded in the ground where he once stood. "You could've singed me." "Sorry." Kyrie shifted her gaze back to the target that settled into the ground several yards away. Large holes covered the area around it, and one of the nearby pillars had been blown away. "Are you sure this is the best way to learn magic?" "Nope." "Wha? Then why am I doing this?" Alex tugged the long bow off his torso and pulled an arrow out of the quiver at his side. "This is just teaching you how to aim. Magic can be used up close, or far away. You need to learn how to use it both ways." "Ohh. So it's like shooting an arrow?" "Yeah, kinda." Alex cocked the string back on his bow and shot the arrow at the target. A loud _Thud _echoed in the empty courtyard as the arrow hit the center of the bulls-eye. "How'd you learn to shoot so well?" "I practiced. You know, before we even came here, I already knew how to use a bow." "Really?" "Yeah. I took a couple lessons a few years back." Drawing back the string once more, Alex fired a second arrow into the target. "But how do you know if it's gonna hit?" "I dunno. I just feel it." "You feel it?" "Yep. I just fire and feel whether it's gonna hit or not." Kyrie blinked a few times, trying to wrap her mind around the idea. "Alex you aren't making any sense.." The bowman gave his friend a smile, pulling the bow back over his frame. "When have I ever made any sense?" "Good point."

**XxXxXx**

Aubrey sighed slightly in the large training room. "I didn't know this thing would be so hard to use." Gazing at the long spear in her arms, the girl gave herself a smirk. "But. It's such a beautiful weapon." Along the spear, different designs winded up it's frame. Near the blade was a ring of bright green emeralds. The spearhead itself was rather sharp, and the weight of the weapon was much more lighter than Aubrey would've guessed. "At least I know how to use you now." She jumped suddenly when the steel door creaked open. Her four friends all walked in, covered in water. Alex and Tye were shirtless, and Aubrey giggled at her boyfriend's annoyed look. "What happened to you guys?" Taking a seat next to her, Tye shook the water out of his hair and gave her a kiss. "Kyrie decided to try and do a new spell." Laughing, Alex took a seat across from the two. "I told you she could pull it off." "Yeah thanks for that Ky." Nudging her sister, Brissa took a seat next to Alex. Kyrie, meanwhile, tried as best she could to not burst out laughing. "Sorry guys. But it was really funny when you all flipped out." "You'd freak too if you saw a fifty foot wave trying to eat you." Alex mimicked his words by opening and closing his hands, making everyone roar with laughter. "So the first day of your training is done. How was it?"

Looking around, the girls each thought about their earlier practices. "It wasn't as bad as I thought." Nodding in agreement, Kyrie sat down on the opposite side of Alex and leafed through her tome. "It was a lot of fun too." "Ha! My training was anything but fun." Giving Brissa a cold look, Tye stared at her before wrapping his arm around Aubrey's shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?" Giggling, Aubrey kissed his cheek. "Lets face it hun, you tend to get a little worked up when it comes to fighting." "No I don't." "Don't lie Tye!" Alex piped up, throwing his wet shirt onto his friend. Throwing it back, Tye gave the three across from him an evil smile. "I could be a lot worse if you want." Wide eyed, the two girls nervously shook their heads while Alex and Aubrey held back their laughter.

**XxXxXx**

The evening air felt oddly still in the fading light. Cassidy walked carelessly through the gardens, a dark shadow following behind her. "You know you don't have to act like that all the time." Turning around, the princess grabbed the figure's arm and tugged him along. "Tsk, what do you mean _act like that_?" "I mean the way you act like you're the worst thing alive." The figure stopped and turned his head. "I don't act like that.." Giggling, Cassidy tugged the bulky black hood off his head. "Hey!" "Quiet. I'm ordering you to loosen up a bit." Hazel eyes shot out from the dark silhouette and long brown hair flowed out. The hair was tied back in a ponytail, yet several of the bangs fell over Shawn's face. The lost friend looked tired, yet had a sense of determination about him. "If anyone sees me." "You're fine Shawn. You need to relax for a change." "..Sorry.." Giggling again, Cassidy took a seat on a marble bench close to the bushes of red roses. "Why haven't you shown yourself to your friends yet?" Eyeing the princess, Shawn cleared his throat. "I was going to..But then the little problem of an invasion popped up." "Oh, I see." "Although..I think Tye knows it's me.." "Hm? Really?" Shawn nodded his head, resting against a stone pillar. "They'll soon realize who I am. I guess you can say I'm messing around with them." The girl gave Shawn a warm smile, which quickly changed, along with her face, to a more curious look. "You know. You never told me what you did before we met." "I didn't?" "No. You always said 'Some other time.'" Shifting his gaze away from her, Shawn lowered his head. "..Maybe some other time." "No. I'm curious Shawn. What happened to make you like this?" The boy scratched the side of his head and examined the stone pathway. "..It's not very appealing.." "I don't care. I want to know." Heaving a sigh, Shawn's gaze returned to the princess.

"..Alright..As you already know; like the others, I'm not from here. I first came here about five months before I met you. At first, I thought I was in a dream. But I soon realized all this was real." Shawn's attention changed to the pink sky above him. He watched several birds fly over them, his mind winding back. "The first thing I did was learn how to fight. I found a town near Dragon's Lake, and a local blacksmith taught me how to fight. He taught me a lot of things..Come to think of it, he was more like an older brother than a random blacksmith.."

**XxXxXx**

_**"There you are Shawn!" "Sorry Ed. The fish must've been scared today." Shawn walked into the weapons shop, a bag slung over his shoulder. His knee high brown boots were soaked. Tucked into his boots, and also wet, were a pair of loose gray pants. A large black belt fit around his waist, and covered the lower portion of his sleeve-less red shirt. His brown hair was long and dangled around his head, most of his bangs falling over his face and covering his hazel eyes. "Well at least you got some." Standing behind a counter, Edward, the local blacksmith, studied Shawn. "Did you go into the lake to get them?" "Well my pole broke." Edward let out a loud laugh, followed by a small sigh. The blacksmith looked slightly older than Shawn. He had long jet-black hair that fell over his shoulders. A pair of brown pants were fitted loosely around his legs. His black boots looked worn down and scuffed up. A tight-fitting white shirt rested on Edward's frame, showing off his muscular build. **_

_**"You know Ed, if you keep wearing skin tight clothes, the girls might rape you." Laughing again, Edward walked over to Shawn and patted his shoulder. "Not if they get you first." The younger of the two took a deep breath and carefully sneaked over to a nearby window. Peering outside, Shawn caught glimpse of one of the village girls that loved to hang around the shop. "Yeah you're right. I need to be less handsome." The two stared at each other for several seconds before bursting out laughing. "You're a moron sometimes." Quieting down, the two walked to the back of the shop. Shawn dropped the bag of fish onto a wooden table positioned against the back wall. "So when do we eat?" "After you make your rounds. "Awwh, come on Ed. I'm starving." Eyeing his friend, Edward shook his head. "Nope. You know the rules. All the men get to play guard duty until dusk." "Well then why aren't you doing it?" "I have to run the shop." Sighing, Shawn slowly nodded. "Alright, alright. But when I get back those fish had better be ready to eat." Edward nodded towards the rucksack that lazily hung on the wall. "Don't forget that." Shawn pulled the bag off the wall and rummaged through it. He withdrew a long whip which he fastened to his belt. Placing the bag over his shoulder, Shawn waved goodbye and headed back out to the center of town.**_

_**The small city was nestled on the edge of Dragon's Lake. Legend says that one million years ago, before humans existed, dragons roamed about the world. They made their homes on the banks of this lake. The old books say that this was also where the dragons perished. No one knows how or why. So, the body of water became known as Dragon's Lake. Shawn walked through the town, waving to people and talking with several shop owners. Despite being here only a short time, he had been accepted into the townspeople's lives. As he approached the center of town, he lost his footing, almost falling. "What the?" Looking behind him, he spotted a girl bent over, trying to grab something. "Hey Carol what are you doing?" "Hm?" Standing up, the girl tilted her head. "I dropped something. Do you think you can help me find it?" "Um..Sure. What is it?" "It's a necklace my grandmother gave me before she died. I took it off to clean it and it fell somewhere around here." Shawn scratched his chin a bit, peering around the area. "Are you sure it's not in your pocket or something?" "Why on earth would I be looking for it if it was in my pocket?" "Well sorry. I was just asking.." Giggling, Carol bumped into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're so cute when you're clueless." His face turning red, Shawn shifted his gaze off to the side. "Hey, shouldn't you be getting home soon? It's getting late." Carol tilted his head back to face her and gave him a small frown. "What's wrong? Don't you like me?" His face turning a brighter red, Shawn nervously looked around. "Um..of course I do..But uh..I don't think this is such a good idea.." "And why's that?" "Well uh..." "Hey! What do you think you're doing to my daughter!" "Uh-oh!" Shawn pulled away from Carol and ran off down the street. "Hey you little punk, get back here!" **_

_**Shawn dove into a pile of hay, trying to catch his breathe. **_**Geez..What's with that girl..****_ He waited a couple minutes before emerging from the straw. Brushing himself off, the boy made his way back to the center of town. The usual group was sitting about, waiting for their last member. "Hey there he is!" "What took you so long, huh Shawn?" "I bet he was with another girl. Ya can't seem to pick one can ya." "It's not like that!" The group roared with laughter, all of them spying the bright pink on Shawn's face. "Damn it you guys!" Quieting down, the group rounded up their items and headed for the outskirts of town. "Alright, tonight be on your guard. The local bandits have been sited not too far from here." Shawn had been paired with a younger boy named Darin. He was the usual troublemaker in the town, but was good with an axe. _**

_**"So which girl was it this time?" Shawn gave the youth a small glare. :I wasn't doing anything with her!" "Ah! But you were with a girl still!" Shawn shook his head and sighed. Regardless of what he'd say, they all joked about that. It didn't bother him that much though. But if he acted like it wasn't a big deal, they all might come to hate his cockiness. Plus, he really didn't like how every girl threw herself at him. "Hey, did you hear something?" "Huh?" Shawn quickly scanned the low lit area. The sun had just set behind the mountains, but there was still a bit of light out. It was bright enough to see at least. The two boys cautiously walked along the edge of the town, nervously studying everything that made a sudden noise. "There it is again!" "Calm down Darin. It's probably a rabbit." "That sounded awfully big for a rabbit." "..Good point. Ok, wait here. If I'm not back in five minutes come find me." "Right." Shawn unhooked the whip at his side and made his way into the dense patch of trees in front of him. **_

**Man, it's a lot darker in here.._ Shawn carefully walked through the small forest. The floor was littered with broken twigs and leaves, making his stealth useless. Suddenly, he froze. A low growl emitted around him, growing louder. Shawn snapped the whip out towards the bushes around him. He heard a sharp whimper, followed by the sound of a fleeing coyote. _That stupid thing almost scared me half to death.._ "What's wrong with you?" "Ah!" Shawn spun around, his whip lashing out to the voice coming from behind him. "Ow! Hey, watch it Shawn!" Laying on the ground in front of him, Edward rubbed his side and slowly pulled himself up. "Ed? What the hell are you doing here?" "I closed up early. Figured you'd freak out if I weren't here." "I'm fine, see?" "Oh really?" Edward laughed, rubbing his side again. "You call whipping your friend fine?" "Sorry about that.." The older of the two shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'd be scared too if I were in here by myself." "Heh.." Shawn shifted his attention back to his previous spot, eyeing the bushes closely. "What's up?" "Nothing..Just this weird feeling." Another rustling came from a larger set of bushes several feet off. The two boys reacted immediately and charged into the bushes. _**

_**They were met with a hard hit to the back of their heads. Both boys slumped onto the forest floor, losing consciousness. Before Shawn passed out though, he could make out a voice. "That's the last two. Round up the rest of the gang. Tonight, we're gonna have a real fun time in this here town."**_


	11. Past Mistakes

Ch. 11: Past Mistakes

**Ow...My head.. _Shawn slowly slid his eyes open as he began to regain consciousness. His entire body ached, but most of all, he had a splitting headache. Trying to forget the pain, Shawn carefully looked around. He had been moved from the forest to a small room. There was one light bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling, but it's fading glow did little to help him. He could, however, make out the silhouette of a round table positioned underneath the light bulb. One wooden stool sat next to the table, but it looked ready to fall apart. Shawn slowly stood to his feet and rubbed the back of his head while he examined the remainder of the room. _**

**_The only other thing in there was the door. It was a large door, made out of some type of metal. Shawn pressed his ear against the cold door, trying to make out any noises from outside his make shift prison. He could hear them. Faint voices talking amongst themselves, but Shawn couldn't make out what they were saying. All he knew was that if he didn't get out soon, he would be in a lot of trouble. Rummaging in his pockets, the boy tried to find anything useful to help him break a hole in one of the weak looking walls. _Nothing.. _Shawn quietly knelt down next to the base of the door, which sat a good inch off the rotting floor. He could make out eight feet; which meant there were four of them out there. Standing slowly, Shawn took a seat on the old stool next to the table and pondered what to do next. He needed to get out, but he couldn't make any noises are else the thugs outside would hear him. _**

**Unless.. _A quick smile played its way onto Shawn's face as he bounced up from the stool. He kicked the old thing onto the floor, then smashed the table apart, trying to make as much noise as he could. Outside, Shawn could hear the voices grow louder and angrier. _It's working. Now come on and open the door. _A soft click snapped against the door, followed by a faint grunt. Barely dodging the bright new flame that entered the room, Shawn ducked behind the metal door and waited for them all to enter. Four short and plump men carelessly walked into the room, weapons in hand. They surveyed the tiny room swiftly, but tensed when they realized their prisoner wasn't there._**

**_"Hey! Where the hell'd he go?" "Got me. I coulda sworn he was just here..Wasn't it him makin' all that racket?" The other three nodded in agreement, and made their farther into the small space. Seeing his chance, Shawn slipped behind them and out the door, slamming it shut behind him. "HEY! You son of a bi-" Once the door had closed shut, Shawn hurriedly locked the bolt into place. Loud muffles could be heard on the opposite side, but he knew no one would hear them. _Ok..Now I need to get out of here. _The room he was in now was much bigger. There was a large square table in the center, and five chairs scattered around it. Two hallways on either side of the room led elsewhere, though he didn't know which way to go. So, instead of picking the wrong choice, Shawn cautiously walked into the hallway closest to him on the left. He could feel a breeze, and shouting echoed into the walkway. Without second guessing himself, Shawn ran down the hallway. He carefully slowed to a quiet walk though, when he heard more voices coming closer to him. _**

**_"So, where to next?" "Well, first we gotta check on the prisoner fer Eddy. Then, I say we go and rape some random women!" "Hahaha! I like the way ya think!" Shawn knelt down in the shadows, patiently waiting for the two brutes to walk by. He spied their shadows dancing along the wall across from him, and took a deep breathe. Once the two had walked past him, Shawn jumped up and slammed their heads into one another. short groan escaped one of them, while the other simply collapsed onto the ground. Another quick smile flashed onto Shawn's face as he moved the unconscious bodies against the darkest wall. Waiting to make sure no one else was coming, Shawn __moved forward, the screams now getting louder. _**

**_After a few minutes, he came to a large open window. On the floor next to the window, Shawn spied a half broken throwing axe. It was still in great shape, but half the handle had been broken off. Shawn quickly picked it up and silently gazed out the window. _I'm...In the clock tower? _It was true. Shawn had been moved to the clock tower that stood near the center of town. Underneath him, in the growing morning light, he could make out a group of people standing around a smaller group of people. The larger group was laughing and whispering among themselves, while the smaller group cowered in fear. Shawn raised the throwing axe, trying to figure out which to hit first; but he stopped suddenly when a familiar face caught his attention. Walking towards the two groups, a young man with jet-black hair that fell around his shoulders approached them. He was wearing a crown of some kind, and a long red cape was draped over his shoulders. _Ed..? **

_**"So boys. What do we have here, hm?" "Hey there boss. We got us a couple of virgins 'ere." "Virgins you say?" Edward kneeled down next to one of the three girls that his men had surrounded and lifted her head. "You seem to old to be a virgin." The girl quickly slapped his hand away as she hissed at him. "Traitor!" Edward gave her a small frown, which turned into an evil grin in an instant. "I'm no traitor. I simply played you all like the fools that you are." Standing, Edward turned and began to walk off towards the Mayor's home. "Go ahead and due what you want with them boys. Just be sure to get rid of the bodies when you're done." "Sure thing boss!" "Oh, by the way. Where did Hugo go?" "Uh.. I think he went to go check on the prisoner fer ya." A soft snicker erupted out of Edward. "Oh that's right. Poor little Shawn. He's probably dead by now. Oh well, these things just happen I guess." The group chuckled calmly to themselves while Edward glanced over his shoulder down to the girls. "Such a pity too. He would've loved all this.." **_

**_Clutching the throwing axe in his hand, Shawn glared down at Edward from the window at the clock tower. His one true friend. The only person that ever took care of him; betrayed him. _He used me! _Anger boiled up in Shawn's body as he watched Edward walk away. Gritting his teeth, he pulled his arm back and threw the axe. It whizzed through the air, leaning slightly towards the left. "Oh! I almost forget. When you boys are done with them, be sure to grab Darin and go ta-" The group of thugs, turning to see why their leader had stopped giving them orders, moved away in fear. Edward fell to his knees, an axe lodged into his lower neck. Fear grappled his face, and his skin began to grow pale as the blood trickled down his body. He slowly moved his head to look towards the direction the axe had taken, and immediately spotted Shawn. "Y..You! Snake!" Edward gulped at the air, trying to breathe in one last breath before falling over onto his side. Meanwhile, Shawn stared back at him, his anger subduing inside his body as a small laugh echoed in the hallway. "Good riddance.."_**

**XxXxXx**

"..After that, his group just kind of went nuts without him and left the place. I left the next day..I couldn't stay there after what I did.." The princess merely nodded, her gaze resting on a rose bush in front of her. "So what happened after that?" Shawn heaved a quiet sigh and pushed himself off the stone pillar. "Afterward, I just wandered around looking for work. Then I stumbled upon a job opening here in the castle as your bodyguard." "I still don't understand..Why are you so tense all the time?" Laughing to himself, Shawn shrugged his shoulders a bit. "I guess I never got over what Ed did to me. Well, not just me, but to the whole town. I suppose I'm still a little angry at myself for believing him, and for killing him." "So, you go around acting as if you're emotionless to protect yourself and to protect everyone else?" "I guess so." "What do you mean you guess?" Cassidy stood and smacked Shawn's shoulder playfully. "You need to stop being so emotionless. It's not healthy." The Cobra stared at her for a few silent seconds before laughing to himself once more. "Yes, your highness."

Meanwhile, leaning against a pillar shrouded away from the princess and Shawn, Tye yawned lightly. He was fiddling with a knife and tossed it into the air a few times, listening to the other two talk. His mind wandered about, thinking of how to approach Shawn now that he knew who he was. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to worry about that. "So Tye, how long do you plan to hide back there, hm?" Tye froze, but soon recollected himself and smirked a bit. Walking out from behind the pillar, the White Wolf laughed. "As always Cassidy, you somehow know everything." "I make it a hobby of mine." Laughing again, Tye shook his head and flopped down onto a bench. Shawn though, was in small disbelief. "Tye..You've been here...the whole time?" "Yeah pretty much." "And...You aren't mad?" "Nope." Tye kicked his feet up onto the bench and laid back onto the cool stone seat, still toying with his knife. "You had your own reasons for hiding your identity. No ones gonna judge for it." "Really?" "Of course. Although, I'd be watch Kyrie and B. Those two might freak a little." Laughing, Shawn took a seat on the bench across from Tye's. "You've got a point there.." The two stared at each other for a few silent seconds before their reunion was interrupted by a loud crash. Tye jumped to his feet, sword drawn, and stood in front of Cassidy. A split second later, Shawn was behind her, his whip out, both warriors ready to protect the princess. "What was that?" "I don't know. But it didn't sound friendly." The two carefully surveyed the garden, catching every single object that flinched. But their concentration was broken when a loud screech echoed through the skies, followed by a familiar voice shouting at them.

"Tye! Shawn! Get down!"

**XxXxXx**

Alex lazily walked around the castle, boredom creeping up on him. A small yawn escaped his lips as he rounded a corner into the dining room. He was greeted by the girls, who were all eating at a nearby table. The oldest boy took a seat next to Brissa, and was immediately met with a servant. "What shall you have to eat, Sire?" "Um..Whatever they're eating I guess." "Very well, Sire." Once the servant had disappeared into the kitchen, Alex looked towards the ceiling and stared at the large chandelier. "Hard to believe I was dangling on that thing a couple days ago..Now look at it. It looks brand new." The girls all gazed up at the chandelier as well. "Weren't you scared?" "Shitless." Giggling, Kyrie shook her head. "Hey you asked." "You know Alex, sometimes I think you'r-" She was cut off, however, by a loud crash that echoed into the room., followed by a loud screech. "Shit." Another loud crash shook the room, knocking over several vases and portraits. "I swear this place is like a battlefield!" "Tell me about it!"

Alex jumped up from his chair, immediately reaching for his bow. He ran over to the window, and his eyes grew wide as he came to a stop in front of one open one. "Girls, we have a problem..Again!" Hopping out of their seats, all three girls ran over to the bowman and took a peak out the window. Flying in the sky straight towards the castle was a monstrous looking bird. it's large blood red feathers flapped hard against what little wind there was. It's mouth let out another piercing screech, revealing a set of ghastly looking teeth. It's talons scraped across a building, ripping the roof off. Alex climbed through the window and slid down the side of the wall, running after it once he had hit the street. "Alex! What the hell are you doing?" "I'm gonna try and kill it! Kyrie! Take the girls into Marissa's room and keep her safe!" "Ok! But you'd better be careful!" "Always!" And with that, Alex dashed around a corner. "Who's Marissa?" "I'll explain later, just follow me." Leading the other two girls out of the dining room, Kyrie ran through the rattling hallways, leafing through her tome. Behind her, Brissa unsheathed her blades, watching corners and open doors. Aubrey spun her spear, getting it ready just in chase.

The three ran swiftly through the castle, moving past chaotic soldiers and their commanders barking orders. They were all met with almost no resistance, which worried the girls. "Why aren't there any enemy soldiers?" "I don't know! Maybe they're on their way?" Laughing, Aubrey shook her head. "I hope not!"

_Damn, this thing is fast. _Alex darted past another building as the terror in the sky destroyed the top floor. Drawing his string back, he fired an arrow at the bird, hoping this one would actually hit the thing; but to his disappointment, it missed by a good distance. _Damn it, damn it, damn it! _Alex picked up his pace, trying to get underneath the bird, but was cut off by a row of rubble and debris. Tugging the bow over his shoulder, the boy climbed up a half destroyed building, then jumped a good distance onto another. He then made his way to the top of that building and jumped down onto the street below, rolling as he landed. Glancing into the sky, Alex caught the back of the thing's tail, and bolted after it. He soon realized though, that it was headed straight for the gardens. _Where the hell is it going? _Sadly, his question was soon answered.

After running for a few minutes, he spotted three figures standing in the gardens. Two of them were surrounding the other, and Alex caught sight of Tye's coat. But he almost stopped when he saw Shawn standing behind the princess, ready to fight off anything. _What the..Shawn? _Another crash rattled the earth beneath him, causing him to stumble onto the ground. Gazing up, he saw the bird swoop down, straight for his friends. Bouncing up, Alex ran as fast as he could towards them, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Tye! Shawn! Get down!"


	12. Kidnapped

Ch 12: Kidnapped

Tye and Shawn both heard the shouts from Alex. Their focus immediately turned skyward, just in time to see the ugly beast swooping down on them. "Shawn grab Cassidy!" "Right!" Grabbing onto the princess' arm, the Cobra dove to the ground, dragging her with him. As the bird inched closer, Tye sheathed his sword and glared at the thing. "Hey! What the hell are you doing Tye?" "Shawn, I'm about to show you why I'm called the White Wolf!" Tye's body began trembling, causing the ground beneath him to shake. A low rumble crept up from the swordsman, followed by a sudden blast of air that slid Shawn and Cassidy back a few feet. Tye's head cocked towards the sky, and a loud howl exploded out of his form, erupting the area in a blinding light. Watching all this from a distance, Alex chuckled to himself and relaxed slightly. _That thing is fucked._

Once the light had faded, Tye's figure had been replaced with a larger than life wolf. It's snow white fur blew in the dieing wind, and it echoed the howl that had been heard only seconds ago. The gigantic bird, obviously ignoring the transformation, dove for the princess. "Shit! Hey Tye, a lite help please!" The wolf turned on it's paws and lunged out for the winged mammoth. It's huge jaw grasped onto the monster's leg, causing it to screech out on pain. The wolf released it's grip, but quickly grabbed onto the other leg, yanking the giant thing away from Shawn and Cassidy. The bird tumbled in the sky, and fell hard to the ground. Alex, who had reached the others, pulled Shawn and the princess to their feet. "We need to move away from this spot, or else we'll get flattened!" "What do you mean?" "You'll see!" Alex shooed the two away, then turned his attention to the wolf; who was wrestling with the giant bat. "Hey Tye! Whenever you feel like killing that thing, go right ahead!" A low growl echoed through the gardens, followed by a huff of annoyance. "Well sorry! I thought you'd gotten carried away again!"

Shawn and Cassidy stared at the two, wide eyed and in slight shock. "Is he really talking to Tye?" "I'm not too sure. I think so, 'cause it sounds like Tye's arguing with him." "That's nothing knew." Shifting back to the fight, the two could see the large beast leap into the air and raise it's front paw as if to swipe the bird. A bright white glow encased the paw, followed by a sudden burning sensation that wilted several of the garden's roses. The wolf's paw slammed down onto the bird, searing it's body with a hot print. The monster shrieked out in agony and squirmed beneath the wolf, unable to break free. After a brief moment, the bird stopped resisting, the burning mixed with the strength of the wolf killing it. Another low growl echoed into the skies, followed shortly by a quick flash of light. Shawn squinted for a second, but was still able to make out the large animal shifting back into it's human form.

The huge legs shrank down to two muscular legs clothed in a air of slick brown pants and black, knee-high boots. The other two legs reverted back to the muscular arms that hid underneath the black shirt and black trench coat. The blonde haired swordsman turned to face the others and cracked his neck, a big smile on his face. Shawn and Cassidy both continued to stare at Tye, in shock and horror. "What..the hell was that?" "That.." Tye panted, slowly making his way over to them. "Was the power of my magic." "You can use magic?" "I've seen this before!" "Princess?" Fixing her dirtied dress, the girl walked over to Tye and examined him carefully. "It's forbidden magic. Most people haven't even heard of it." Shawn curiously walked over to his friend and, along with Cassidy, touched him to make sure he was human now. Tye winched and snarled at them, almost shoving Shawn off as he flopped onto the ground. "Be careful! I drained a lot of my strength from that.." "But I don't get it..How'd you do that?"

Giggling, Cassidy took a seat next to Tye and pointed to him. "Tye has made a pact with a wolf demon, who gave Tye the power of a wolf. But in return, Tye had to give the demon half of his own heart. The other half was fused with the wolf's. That is why it's forbidden magic; because in order to use it, you have to give up half of your heart." "Wow. Tye why the hell did you do that?" Snickering, the swordsman fell onto his back. "I didn't do it on purpose. I was in a bad situation and had no other choice. I would've died if I hadn't made that agreement.." His two friends stared at him, a hint of concern on Shawn's face while Alex seemed rather cheery. "I can do it too." "Huh?" "Yep. But I've only used it twice. And both times I ended up destroying the entire place.." Tye laughed and socked his friend on the arm. "You still need to go apologize to those people." "Don't remind me.."

Shawn couldn't hold back the laughter that echoed out of him, which was followed closely by Cassidy laughing as well. The four all sighed, relief filling them with a happier feeling. But that feeling vanished in an instant when an all too familiar shriek erupted in their heads. Tye and Alex turned to the sky above them, while Shawn grabbed the princess and ducked behind the bushes. "You've got to be kidding me!" A second giant bird glided in from the skies, this one accompanied by a hoard of smaller flying creatures. "Shit.." Forcing himself up, Tye drew his sword and clutched his side. "I don't have time for all this bullshit you fuckers! Go away!" "Relax Tye. We can handle them." "Easy for you to say! You're not ready to pass out!" Alex laughed quietly to himself and readied his bow, taking aim at the closest flying monster. The first arrow flew away from the string, a second right behind it, then a third. One after the next, the flying projectiles hit their marks, knocking down a couple dozen flying beasts. But, to Alex's dismay, more swooped in from behind them.

"We need to get the princess inside!" "Good idea." "..I'll try to hold them off." Stopping, the other three turned to look at Tye, who had picked up a spear. Spinning it in his hand, he laughed to himself and nodded towards the castle. "Get going. I'll be find. I've got enough strength left for these guys." The group hesitantly nodded, pushing themselves into the castle's walls. The White Wolf flicked his wrist, a white light forming around his hands. The light engulfed the spear, causing it to turn pure white. A cold chill fell off the weapon, and Tye arched his arm back, taking aim at the largest of the monsters. "This'll take care of you for a while at least." Releasing the spear, Tye watched it whiz through the air. It had begun it's collision course with the giant bird, and within seconds pierced the thing's flesh. Roaring out in pain, the monster squirmed and jerked in the air, watching in horror as the frozen lance spread it's frozen grip throughout it's left wing. The monster stumbled in the air, not able to hold it's own weight with only one wing. Tye happily watched as it fell to the earth below it, shaking the ground beneath him. Another flick of his wrist, and the same cool glow enveloped his hand. He laughed quietly at first, then it grew louder, cutting off any silence there had been. The lust for blood enveloped his face, his once bright blue eyes darkening to almost black. "Come get some you pieces of shit!"

**XxXxXx**

Seth walked through a deserted forest, fallen trees and dead bodies spread out before him. The stench of dried blood and decaying corpses filled the air, making the knight cough. His sword was at the ready, waiting impatiently to cut down it's next victim. The warrior clutching the weapon moved swiftly, ignoring the several thoughts that clouded his mind. He was stopped though when he heard the screams of terror and fear shake the woods. Moving quickly, almost silently, Seth inched closer to the shrieks of pain, his grip on the sword's handle tightening. He stumbled past a blood stained hut, not daring to look inside. The screams grew louder and more clear as he approached his dieing men, weapon in hand and ready to strike down anyone or anything that stood in his way. Darting out of the thicket, his eyes came across what he had feared. Soldiers dressed in once bright silver armor were being tossed around like toys.

The thing throwing them around raised it's ugly head to the smell of the newcomer. It dropped it's most recent kill and turned to face Seth. The Commander's green hair blew wildly in the harsh forest winds. He surveyed the enemy quickly and as best he could. It stood at almost nine feet. Shrouded in black armor, Seth could barely make out it's dark green skin beneath it's protection. The knight raised his weapon high, ready to strike down his opponent. He thought the enemy would be slow due to his large size, but Seth was easily knocked off his feet by a quick snap of the giant's wrist. The armored warrior stepped over to the Commander, a huge broadsword in his hands. Seth heaved a painful groan, desperately trying to pull away into the woods. But his leg was broken, and the young swordsman was trapped. Another heavy sigh left his body, and Seth anticipated the final blow. His muscles relaxed, and as he cleared his mind he could hear the giant's armor rattle. He couldn't shut his eyes though. He wanted to look death straight in it's face, and welcome it. The broadsword swooped down onto the helpless knight, reaching inches from his temple. _This is it.. _

**XxXxXx**

Alex, Shawn and Cassidy ran through the halls of the castle, hugging one of the walls for protection. The other occupants of the building had only just received news of the attack, and were still bustling about. A loud explosion echoed through the walls, and the three came face to face with the first wave of enemy soldiers. "Well I gotta give them credit! They sure are persistent!" Alex drew his bow, firing what little arrows he had left into the first row of soldiers. Once he had fired his last one, his bow fell out the floor and the twin daggers he kept flashed to life. Shawn too drew his weapon, the pure silver of his whip flashing in the light. "So Alex. What are we going to do about Cassidy?" "Good question. I'll let you know when I have an answer." "I swear, you both treat me like I'm useless."

The princess walked between the confused boys, a smirk on her face. She raised her hand into the air, and mumbling under her breath, pointed at the soldiers advancing on them. A bright orange circle singed to life around the princess, giving off an intense heat. The circle expanded to around Alex and Shawn, who stood and watched in awe as a single line shot out from the circle. It traveled down the hall, straight towards the enemy. Cassidy mumbled under her breath once more, and with a flick of her wrist engulfed everything in the hallway with a bright blast of fire. The circle that had surrounded the three slowly faded away, giving the boys a short time to see how much damage the princess had done.

"Cassidy I think you overdid it." "No I didn't." "I think you did." The princess grabbed a hold of Alex's ear, yanking it down to her level. "Ow, ow! Alright already! You didn't overdo it!" "That's better." Releasing his ear, the princess walked off down the scorched hall, her bodyguards behind her. "Where to next boys?" While he rubbed his ear, Alex gazed out the window, his attention fixating on the battle that covered the streets. "Why do they keep trying to attack this place?" "It's war. What do you expect?" "Good point. Let's get to Marissa's room. The girls should be there." Shawn curiously looked over to his friend. "Who's Marissa?" "I'll tell you later."

The group walked down the halls of the castle, making their way to the room at the back of the large structure. Opening the door, Alex carefully peeked inside, making sure no one uninvited was in the room. He was greeted though by three girls dog piling on top of him. "Oof! Hey you guys, take it easy!" Climbing off of him, the girls clung to his frame as he walked into the room, Shawn and Cassidy behind him.

"Alex?" "Hm?" The oldest gazed up towards the sound of the small voice to see Marissa sticking her up from her bed. "Hey Marissa, you're awake." "Mhm. There was a loud noise that woke me up. What's going on?" "Nothing." "Then what's all those sounds outside?" Alex hesitantly looked around the room, trying to think up some alternative answer. "Um..Well.." Before he could give her an answer though, the door burst open. Shawn had already jumped up, his whip lashing out at the stranger. A blood soaked hand caught the end of the whip, and gently released it from it's grasp.

Tye heaved his way into the room, his clothes tarnished and stained red. He painfully cracked his neck and slumped onto the floor. Aubrey ran over to him, kneeling down beside him and scooping him up onto her lap. "Tye? What happened to you?" The swordsman laughed quietly and shook his head. He rolled over out of Aubrey's lap and forced himself to sit up. "I'm fine. There was just a lot more things to kill then I would've liked." The other two girls kneeled down next to him, and Brissa carefully examined his wounds. His right arm had been gashed open badly, but could be stitched up. It appeared as if his head had been thrown into something, but Brissa knew Tye would get over it. He was tougher than he looked. Scanning down his body, she could see several deep cuts and a lot of bruising. Noticing her, Tye laughed again. "So B, will I live?" Brissa laughed with him, and gently smacked his side. "You'll be fine." "He better be." Aubrey leaned towards him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, wiping some of the blood off of his face.

The group sighed a bit of relief. Everyone was here, and no one was dead. Alex and Shawn helped Tye up to a chair, while the girls attended to all the excess blood. Cassidy took a seat on the edge of Marissa's bed and comforted the small child, making sure she knew Tye would be alright. The calm atmosphere tensed up though, when the door blew open once again. A heap of dust settled over the doorway, blocking the strangers that stood in the archway. A large net shot out into the room, enveloping Cassidy and Marissa. Tye heaved himself up, his sword already in his hand, and cut the rope on the end of the net. The girls grabbed the princess and Marissa just as a second net zoomed into the room. This one Shawn grabbed with his whip, tearing it apart. "Damn it! Get the fuck out of our way!" As Alex drew back his bow to shoot the intruders, a loud _pop _echoed in the room, followed by a blinding light.

All anyone could hear was the sounds of scuffling and a muffled scream. Once the light had faded, and the group regained their sight, Shawn and Alex immediately ran out of the room. They were all alright, but two of their friends had gone missing. And one was the princess.


	13. Changing Sides

Ch 13: Changing Sides

Seth glared at his reflection. He could make out every little detail on his face. The mirrored image on the broadsword inched closer to his head, ready to strike him down. Seth gritted his teeth, his body trapped where he layed in pain. The giant blade was now only a second or two from killing him, this fierce Commander. He was about to scream out, but his mouth froze open, not a single sound coming out. The large warrior retracted it's weapon, and stepped back. The fighter fell over onto it's side, a deep gash carved neatly into the body. Seth's gaze went straight for the figure standing behind the now dead corpse. A large scythe was gripped loosely in a pair of gloved hands; the curved blade dripping with the monster's green-ish blood. The form that leaned against the scythe seemed relaxed and calm. A pair of slick black pants covered his legs and hid a good portion of a pair of black boots. A buttoned up black shirt hung over the form's torso. White hair fell over the face that Seth stared at. A pair of gold eyes calmly gazed back at him, a small smirk stretching over the figure's face. Seth sat himself up, still struck with disbelief. "..Roy?" "Hello brother."

**XxXxXx**

Captain Gorr read over a piece of paper several times before setting it down. He couldn't wrap his mind over this odd news he had just received. Why wasn't he told this sooner? How will this affect the war? A soldier standing guard near the only door in the room glanced down towards the paper. His eyes scanned the letters and words quickly, his mind wondering what made the Captain so concerned.

_Captain Gorr, _

_My name is Roy. You might know me as Ryohei; prince of the Desert Kingdom. I have something that you might be interested in. I am related to one of your commanders. I won't tell you which just yet, but I want you to keep this little bit of information to yourself. I currently have in my possession a stone that your King has been searching for. If you know what I speak of, then keep your men out of the Black Forest to the East for the next four days. After that time, feel free to send them into the forest; just know you won't find anything. I will send another letter directly to you after the four days are up._

_Until then,_

_Ryohei Abarabi_

**XxXxXx**

"What the hell are you doing here.." A soft chuckle escaped the prince as he walked over to Seth. "Father sent me to bring you back." "Tsk. I figured he'd try something sooner or later." Roy knelt down next to his brother, and examined his wound. "Hm. It looks like you got into a load of trouble again." "Don't get any ideas Roy. I can still beat you down if I want too." His brother's once cool composure changed suddenly though, throwing Seth off guard. Roy's eyes motioned behind him, worry stuck in his gaze. Seth leaned over, moaning a painful groan. He could see the outline of a group of guards. They all had large swords that struck the sky above them, and their black armor made them stand out. "Hm..So he brought the Royal Militia." "Seth.." "Hm?" Glancing back to his brother, the Commander's eyes narrowed. Roy looked pale, almost ghost white. His scythe had fallen to the ground and he had balled his hands into fists. "Seth..Uncle Romaro did all this. He's the one behind this damn war." "How do you know?" In almost a whisper, Roy nodded behind them back to the militia. "I overheard one of them talking about him, and how much of a genius he is. Seth, Romaro is going to kill father."

"What!" "Shh! Keep your voice down." Roy helped his brother up to his feet, his eyes still fixated on the gash. "I'm sick of being stuck at home, left out of all this. Romaro kept saying that this was all father's idea, and that it was for the greater good of Selius. What bullshit." Nudging Roy off, Seth straightened up and glared at the guards off in the distance. "So you decided to switch sides huh?" "Yeah. I see now why you did it too." An arm grabbed onto Roy's shoulder and shook him a bit. "So does this mean my brother wants to fight with me?" "Of course." A painful laugh left Seth before his voice dimmed to a more serious tone. "You can't stay with me Roy." "What? Why not?" "If Romaro found out, he'd treat you like a traitor." "I don't care! I want to help you stop this stupid war." Seth gripped Roy's shoulder tightly and stared him dead in the eyes. "Then listen closely. There are six warriors in Rolburr. Each has been gifted with one of the ancient weapons. They can stop this war, but they know nothing about our home. If you want to help me brother, then go to Rolburr, find those six, and lead them to our Kingdom in the Desert. Help them kill Romaro." A smile appeared on Roy's face as he grabbed a hold of Seth's shoulder. The Commander quietly gave his brother the directions to Rolburr, and told him to find Captain Gorr on the way there. "He can help you. He's my right hand man, and I trust him with my life." "Thank you Seth. But..What about them?"

Seth turned to gaze at the militia, who had eased their way closer to the two. A soft laugh left him once more, and he patted Roy's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll deal with them. Just go." "But-" "No buts. Go." Seth pushed Roy off towards the direction of Rolburr, and drew his sword. Noticing this, the militia advanced on Seth, their swords now pointed straight at him. Roy backed away hesitantly, before turning and running off. He stopped short though, when he heard Seth shouting to him. "Roy! One last thing! Be careful!" Roy turned to poke fun at his brother for caring too much, but stopped short. His eyes grew wide, and his mind blacked out as he watched one of the heavy swords run through Seth's body. His brother still moved though, swiping his own blade into the neck of his attacker. "Roy! RUN!" He simply stared at Seth though, his body frozen. He didn't realize his feet had responded to Seth's command, and were running off through the woods. The last thing Roy could see was Seth giving him one last smile, and a short nod. After that, the thicket took the last image of his brother away from Roy, who continued to run.

**XxXxXx**

Alex and Shawn ran through the castle, leaping over fallen bricks and broken pieces of furniture. "You'd think this place would be a heap of rubble by now!" Laughing, Alex slid under an overturned table that had somehow gotten itself stuck into the wall. He kicked off the ground and dove out an open window, Shawn right behind him. "You go down that way and try to find them. I'll go this way." "Right." Alex took off towards the East side of the city, while Shawn ran down to the West end. Glancing over head, Shawn could see the tail of a large wolf, knocking down the hoards of flying monsters that descended on the city. "How is he able to move?" A stupid look was plastered on Shawn's face for a moment before he shook it off.

Meanwhile, Alex had already ran into trouble. "I don't have any time for you morons! Go away!" Kicking into the all too familiar black armor, Alex hopped over the tumbling soldier and dashed off past them. The bowman heaved a quick sigh as he took a second to examine the damage to the buildings. "I swear, this shit never ends."

Back inside the castle, near the Southern end, three girls fought back the invading soldiers with the help of the castle guards. But the guards did little to help them. None of them could match Brissa's speed with her twin swords, or Aubrey's precision. And none of the guards had any knowledge of magic. They had never seen a mage of any kind actually fight, so it was more of a show for them then a battle. They were in awe at how easily Kyrie blasted away soldier after soldier, despite the fact that she was yards away from them. "I don't think they're going to stop!" "Then we keep fighting them off!" A scowl crossed Kyrie's face as she turned to her sister. "Easy for you to say B. You're not using up all your magic as fast as me!" "What magic?" "Exactly!" "Will you two knock it off!" The girls turned to Aubrey, who had just sent one of her attackers flying out a window. "Honestly, you fight way too much." Both girls frowned at their friend, their quick moment of rest halted by more soldiers. "If we can close the hole in the wall, then they'll stop coming!" "And how do you plan to do that?" Aubrey jumped back to the other two, barely dodging the end of a sword. "Still trying to figure that out!"

While the girls fought, they realized they were being pushed back. The endless numbers of soldiers seemed unreal, yet by the appearances, the girls could tell they weren't dealing with normal enemies. "Is it just me, or do these guys seem different!" Kyrie shouted as she enveloped a handful of them in fire. "No, they're different alright!" The girls struggled to push their attackers back, and thankfully were soon helped when the ceiling caved in and a flash of white dashed by them. Once the smoke had settled, the girls examined the silent room. The hole had been blocked by the fallen brick. Two men stood on top of the rubble. Tye's trench coat fluttered a little with the quick burst of air from the fall. His hand gripped the neck of a man dressed in a black robe that covered his entire frame, including his face. "You my friend, are fucked." Tye tightened his grip on the man, motionless as the hands from the soldier clawed at his own. It took a bit longer than he would have liked, but Tye soon released the man, letting him drop to the floor. His lifeless body rolled over, being buried slightly by some of the loose rubble.

Tye jumped off the now destroyed ceiling, walking over to the girls. "Those things you were fighting are dolls." "Dolls?" Brissa mimicked. "Yep. Only summoners can do something like that." "Is a summoner some type of mage?" Tye tilted his head back, cracking his neck as Aubrey slipped over to his side. "You should lie down Hun." "I'm alright. And yes Kyrie, a Summoner is a type of mage. But they use cursed magic to summon corpses back to life and fight for them." A chill ran down each girl's spine at the sudden thought of what they were fighting. "So..We were fighting zombies?" "Pretty much."

The swordsman clutched his side, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Aubrey gripped his hand tightly, worry easily seen on her face. "Don't worry babe, I'm fine." Giving her a quick smile, Tye sat down on the cool floor. "Alex and Shawn aren't back, so they must still be chasing whoever took Cassidy." Tye nodded, hacking up another mouthful of blood. "They have Marissa too."

Shawn heaved his way past a pile of crumpled brick into what used to be the armory. Dozens of once marvelously crafted weapons now layed battered and broken. He had seen someone run into here, but he couldn't tell if that someone was a friend or foe. Walking around the dimly lit bottom floor, Shawn spied the staircase in the corner. It was still in tact somehow, and as he cautiously made his way up the stairs, he could hear footsteps above his head. The second floor was, oddly enough, in better shape then the level below. There was a gaping hole in the side of the wall, but nothing else. Several weapons were still nestled on the wall. The staircase was gone though, blasted apart by the battle.

Shawn had to climb up the broken down wall, using the loose marble and stone as steps. It didn't take him long to reach the third floor, which was just about gone. He skipped this floor, and pulled himself up to the final level. The floor was slightly unsteady, but Shawn managed to balance himself. Near the center of the floor, two men stuffed their bags full of jewels that had fallen off the various weapons. Neither one of them heard the Cobra's climb up, and Shawn guessed they were probably pretty stupid, since there was no look out. Sitting next to them, tied and gagged, was one of the girls Shawn was looking for. She saw him, and was about to scream out, but he silently shushed her from where he stood. He gave her a quick wink and unhooked the silver whip at his side, taking a step forward.

Alex slumped down onto the dusty floor of the infirmary. It had been blown to pieces, only two of the five floors remaining. The first floor was in good condition, but he regretted to see what the second story looked like. He had already checked the local inn, several homes, the bank, and countless other buildings that he couldn't recognize. The damage to the city was worse then before, and Alex knew it would take a lot of time and effort to rebuild. He pulled an arrow out of the quiver resting at his side and fiddled with it while he caught his breath. The tons of windows lit up the clinic much better than Alex would've thought, and the eerie silence gave him an uneasy feeling. He hushed his rapid breathing for a few seconds, trying to pick up any noises other than his own.

To his delight, he heard a voice echoing right outside one of the windows. Arrow still clutched in his hand, Alex quietly hopped up onto his feet, moving closer to the opened window. It was a long rectangle, so he couldn't duck underneath it. But Alex could use the curtain that was still attached as cover, and as he slid behind it, he gazed outside. A short, muscular man was talking out loud to himself, obviously mad about something. Alex could spy two bags lying on the ground, no doubt full of things the man had stolen. half of a third bag caught the bowman's eye, and he noticed a hand was tied to it. Leaning an inch or so out of his hiding place, Alex spotted the second girl. She hadn't seen him though, and there was no way to get her attention without the thug noticing him. Alex slipped the arrow back into it's quiver and withdrew one of his daggers. He took a couple steps back away from the window and, with a deep breath, hurled himself outside.


	14. A New Ally

Ch 14: A new Ally

Roy's mind wandered back to what seemed like days ago. For some weird reason, he could only make out a few glimpse memories of the last thing his brother told him. But right now, he couldn't think about that. He had to find these people Seth talked about. Roy wasn't completely sure if he could trust them, but at the moment they were the only ones he could turn to. He had made his way out of the forest, and was walking along a neat little dirt path. About a mile back, Roy had come across a sign that pointed to the direction of Rolburr, and so he followed it. The large scythe he had carried with him was shrunken down to only about a foot long. It rested snugly on his back in a custom sheath made of fine black leather. Roy had changed his clothes too, not wanting to be recognized.

He wore a pair of black boots that rose up to his mid calf. A pair of brown travel pants were cut off below his knees, and bandages could be seen wrapping up the little bit of leg that was exposed. A loose belt hung lower on one side, a pouch dangling on that lower side. He had on a tight-fitted white shirt that had been cut off below the elbow. A brace on either forearm was tightly fitted, and he had on a pair of black gloves. A tattered white cape that fell to his knees hung off behind him. The bottom of it was ripped, and there were a few holes on the material. None the less, it was still in perfect usable condition.

Roy had stolen these clothes from a farmer's house several miles back. The farmer was about Roy's size in width, but much taller. But he had fixed that problem by simply cutting off any excess cloth he felt was unneeded. And so he walked in his new attire, scythe hidden under his cape, and clutched at his sides, the harsh winds of night picking up. The sun had began to set, already half it's body blocked by the mountains.

**XxXxXx**

Tye and the girls all walked together through the castle. The fighting inside had died down, and its occupants outside of the stone walls. Tye wanted to make sure there would be no other way to get into the castle, so what better way then to patrol around the empty rooms. "Tye, we should be out there, fighting with the soldiers! Not in here on guard duty!" An annoyed glare flicked over the swordsman's shoulder to Kyrie. "I know we should. But in my condition, I'll get killed out there. Plus, you all look about ready to fall over. It's best if we just stay inside and regain our strength. We'll only get in the soldiers' way like this." The young mage let out a bored groan, followed by an unsatisfied look at her friend.

The group walked on for a while longer until they came to one of the guest bedrooms that still remained in tact. Luckily, the only damage done to the room was a hole in the ceiling. Tye glanced up to it and walked over to one of the chairs, taking a seat. "This'll do for now. We can rest here for a bit, then search the rest of the castle. The girls nodded, each taking a seat. Aubrey moved onto Tye's lap, picking her legs up and leaning back against him. "I hope you know what you're doing Babe." He gave her a small smile and kissed her cheek. "Of course I do."

**XxXxXx**

Alex dove out of the low window, rolling onto the dirt outside and sliding up to the thug. He was about to ram the end of his dagger into the thief's chest, but stopped short. His target was on the ground, unconscious. Alex blinked a few times, looking over the body. He turned to look at the girl, who had untied herself from the bag. She was holding a rather large branch in her hands, the end of it broken off. "Wow Cassidy. Remind me to never mess with you." The princess gave the bowman a quick smirk, followed by a sudden frown. "That monster grabbed Marissa too!" "Don't worry. Shawn is looking for her. Or you, whoever he finds first." Cassidy tilted her head and stared at Alex with a bit of confusion on her face. "But I'm right here." "I know." A weird thought ran through her mind, but she quickly shook it out. "Alright then. Since you're here, I can return to the castle safely." Alex laughed a bit and shook his head. "There is no safety right now princess. The entire city has gone nuts." "Oh really?" Cassidy smacked Alex's side before walking off down the street. "Then we'll just have to fix that, won't we?" The bowman rubbed his side, an annoyed scowl escaping him as he followed her. "You didn't have to hit me."

**XxXxXx**

It took Roy several hours to reach any sign of life. He had wandered along a dirt road for what seemed like days. The cool night air made his body tense up, trying to stay warm. Roy was on a suicide mission. But, he had to find these people Seth told him about. He still wasn't too sure why, but he had a feeling they could help.

After another grueling hour, Roy finally stumbled onto a farm house. It was abandoned, probably because of the poor soil around the area. But, he didn't care. It was shelter. The prince of the mighty Desert kingdom, was now simply a poor fighter looking for a way to stop all this pointless blood shed. Luckily, the inside of the house was in decent condition. Nothing too defecated or destroyed. Roy found a pile of burnt grass sitting idly in the middle of the living room. Smoke was still floating off of the debris, and he immediately reached for the scythe on his back. With a flick of his wrist, the odd weapon sprang to life, extending back to it's original size.

Roy glanced around the quiet home. He checked each room, hoping that the place was deserted. It was. But he couldn't help but feel strange. It felt like a presence was close by. Close enough to watch him. Roy didn't like that. Still, maybe whatever was here will return, and maybe they'll be friendly. _Yeah right. Knowing your luck it's probably a band of murders and thieves. _It was at this thought that Roy got an idea. If there were a group of thieves around here, then maybe they were wanted for capture. And if they were wanted, then Roy could make a quick buck far more easily then he could have hoped. _So..Where to hide.. _

He spent the next half hour or so looking around the abandoned building once more, trying to set various traps; a lethal one here, one to scare there. When Roy had finished, he had around half a dozen traps set neatly and secretively in the house. Now, all he would have to do was wait. _Oh what fun that will be.. _Roy had already made a hiding spot for him close to the back door. He had pulled some of the wooden boards on the floor out and dug a small cavern type hole beneath the structure. Perfect for him to slip into and hide until the occupants of the place returned. _I might as well try and get some sleep..No point on fighting in my current condition. _Once Roy had tugged the boards back to their original spot, he leaned back against the dirt and yawned, soon drifting into a light sleep.

**XxXxXx**

Tye opened his eyes slowly and looked around the room. He had ended up in a bed, and Aubrey was sound asleep next to him. _What the? _"Morning sunshine." Tye looked over across the room. Alex was standing in the doorway, and he was shirtless. There were a number of cuts and bruises on his torso, but he looked oddly energetic. Tye tried to sit up, but a jolt of pain ran through him, and he groaned angrily. "What the hell happened?" He whispered. "Well, while you and the girls were guarding the castle, me and Shawn found Marissa and Cassidy. Then by the time we came back here, the fighting had stopped, and you were unconscious." Alex gave his friend a playful grin and yawned, beginning to tell Tye the story Shawn had told of how he found the little girl.

_**Shawn snapped the whip to life, letting it whiz through the air to whack the first goon off his feet. "Hey! Who's there?" The second one turned to see the Cobra, but only for a second. Shawn had jumped up into the air, and snapped the whip back to within his grasp. before landing behind the second thug, he spun and swung the end of his weapon out for the goon's head. It bounced off rather hard, causing the man to let out a low groan as he fell over. Before the first had time to react, Shawn, without second guessing himself, kicked the thug's ass; literally. The man flew off the tower and down to the ground below, but Shawn wasn't about to watch what would happen once he hit the earth. Instead, he walked over to Marissa and knelt down next to her, giving her a smile. "Hi." The young girl looked at him, soon wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. "Brother.." **_

"Then he ended up back here a couple minutes before me." Tye took several silent minutes to examine his friend. He really _was _too energetic, even for Alex's standards. Something was different about him. Maybe he got a little extra sleep? No.. He found out something? Nah..If he did, Tye would've found out about it too. _This is bugging the hell outta me..Why is he so happy all of a sudden.._ Suddenly, it clicked in the swordsman's head. "Who'd you sleep with!" He shouted. Alex, who wasn't expecting that remark, turned a dark red and lost his balance, almost falling to the floor. "What are you talking about!" Tye jumped out of his bed, ignoring the second blast of pain in his side. "You slept with someone! I know you did!" He had an evil grin on his face as he walked over to Alex, pulling him up. His older friend looked away, trying to think of something to say. "I''dunno what you're talking about Tye..I'm just in a good mood..That's all.." "You liar!" Tye laughed, walking past the bowman to the room next door. "H-Hey, where the hell are you going?" Alex shouted, walking right behind him. "I'm telling you man, you're full of it!" While he spoke, Tye pushed open the door to Alex's room, eying the empty bed.

Alex walked up next to Tye and smacked his head, leaning against the door frame. Tye, meanwhile, was staring around the room, a little disappointed he couldn't make fun of his friend. "I told you already you idiot." Alex laughed. It seemed like a wave of relief passed over the older of the two. He was satisfied that Tye was proved wrong, but not for long. He stopped laughing, and his face turned a dark red while Tye's beamed a little. A girl walked out of the bathroom in a white robe, yawning a little before turning to look at the two boys standing by the door. "What's up with you two?" Tye immediately turned to look at Alex, holding back a laugh. "About time you dumb ass!" Tye couldn't help himself from laughing at the top of his lungs, falling over onto the ground.

Brissa looked over at her friend with a dash of pink on her face. "Tye! What's so damn funny!" Alex, who was still red, walked into the room and slid his arm around Brissa's shoulder. "He might've found out what we did last night.." Brissa's face simply turned a darker pink, soon matching Alex's. "Hey..What's with all the noise.." Aubrey yawned, walking into the room. "Oh god...We're screwed." Alex huffed, letting go of Brissa's shoulder and walking into the closet, slamming the door behind him. Brissa bit her lower lip, and took a seat on one of the chairs next to the bed, her face turning darker still. In between his laughter, Tye heaved in deep breaths, trying to explain what had happened. "Those two...Hooked up..Last night!" "What?" His girlfriend snapped awake, running over to her friend, squealing a little. "Oh my god Brissa! Did you really!" The girl in the robe slumped her head forward, a mix of laughter and nerves stuck coming out of her as she spoke. "Uh..huh."

"What did my sister do?" "Yeah..And what's with Tye?" Kyrie and Shawn both walked into Alex's room, fully dressed. They were already awake, and had been getting some breakfast. Aubrey let out another squeal, jumping up from her chair and pulling Kyrie over to her sister. Tye had calmed down by now, and, still laughing a little, walked over to the closet door. He knocked on the wood, waiting for an answer but getting none. "Hey Alex come on. I'm only kidding." He laughed, pulling open the door. "Alex?" He wasn't in there though. Actually, he was gone. Completely.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Kyrie jumped up, awe struck at what she had just heard. "When? How!" Tye, who had ignored Kyrie's screaming, curiously walked into the closet. "Alex! If this is your idea of a joke, then you'd better knock the fuck o-" He was cut off, bu the sudden lack of floor. Tye looked down, and realized he was falling. _What the hell! _He was sliding down a chute of some kind, and was going at a pretty high rate of speed. It was several minutes before he finally saw a spot of light, which only grew as he slid out of a large hole. "Oof!" Tye tumbled out of the slide like thing he had fallen into, landing hard on a dirt floor. "Ow..What the fuck was that all about.."

"Come on B, tell us!" "Yeah. I'm a little curious too." Kyrie and Shawn took a seat on either side of Brissa, while Aubrey pulled a chair up. "Well, it's not that big of a deal." Mumbled Brissa. "Not a big deal? You and Alex.." Kyrie's voice trailed off, her mind coming to terms with what they actually did. "WHERE IS HE? I'LL KILL HIM!"


	15. Uncontrollable Desires

Ch 15: Uncontrollable Desires

Alex shook his head, eying the dark room he had somehow fallen into. He had no idea how he got there, but by the feeling of the room, it wasn't a good place. His hands touched a cold wall full of cracks and dust fell off onto him as he moved his fingers across the stone. "Ow!" He had touched something sharp. It was dull, but the thing still managed to draw blood. "Damn it. Where am I.." Alex's eyes had adjusted to the darkness slightly. He could make out silhouettes in the room that resembled a chair and table. Other than that, he could spy the outline of a door, but it looked like something was stuck in front of it. "Hey! Anybody in here, or out there!" He shouted. He froze when he heard a response. It was the faint sound of someone else on the outside of the wall. It sounded like they were talking to someone, but he couldn't here a second voice. "Shit, knowing my luck it's an executioner." He joked. Alex laughed a little to himself, but stopped abruptly when the door swung open, casting in a bright light. Standing in the doorway was a shadow grasping an axe. Alex's heart stopped, and he slid back against the wall. "What the fuck!"

**XxXxXx**

Tye had stumbled into a dimly lit cavern. There were two doors, one was half destroyed, and the other looked ready to fall apart. "Alright.. This is starting to get weird." He looked around the circular room he had walked into. It wasn't very big, in fact, it was probably the size of a standard bedroom. But it looked bigger somehow, most likely from the lack of furniture. Only a tiny table and two chairs sat in the room. Tye walked over to the crippling doorway and peered inside. His heart skipped a beat at the insides of the chamber. An older looking man sprawled out on the ground, dead, was gripping the door frame. The corpse looked to be a few weeks old, because there was still some lingering flesh. The stench of a dead body filled the smaller room, causing Tye to step back and cough. "Damn.. Poor guy." Taking a deep breath, he peaked back into the room. Something had caught his eye, and he had to make sure he wasn't just seeing things.

_What is that? _The swordsman leaned over and spied something in the man's grasp. He tugged at it, but to his dismay it wouldn't budge. "Sorry about this." Tye tugged again, then immediately yanked the thing out of the body's clutches, dragging the man's right arm with him. It was an axe, yet it looked different than what he had seen. A double bladed axe, but it was light enough to throw. And the handle had a curve to it, which felt odd in Tye's grip. The different look wasn't very effective, because when Tye swung the axe, it arched to the left, slamming into the wall. But it was stuck. Tye gripped the handle tightly and pulled, yet it remained locked in the cracking stone. "Damn it, you stupid thing! Cooperate!" With another hard pull, it came free, much to Tye's delight. But he wasn't expecting the second door to swing open. It startled him. _That's.. a little creepy. _Stepping into the doorway, with the axe in his grasp, he looked into the pitch black room. He could see someone else in there, but it was just a silhouette. Tye opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the shout from the figure, who Tye recognized instantly.

**XxXxXx**

"Ky, calm down! It's not like he forced me to do it." Brissa laughed a little at her sister, who was clearly angry. "I don't care! You two..did it!" Brissa sighed and placed her hand on her forehead. "Why do you always make big deals out of this stuff?" Aubrey and Shawn sat back, listening to the twins argue, and laughed to themselves. "I think it's about time you two pushed forward." Shawn's voice piped up between the girls, who both looked at him curiously. "Come on, it doesn't take a lot to realize you and Alex have had a thing for each other. But you guys hide it pretty well." Aubrey nodded in agreement, laughing a bit. "It's not a bad thing Ky." Kyrie looked at her friends, then to her sister. She crossed her arms and pouted, glaring at the closet where Tye and Alex had gone. "I still want to at least scare him." Brissa laughed again and gave her sister a tight hug. "You can scare him. But not to death." Kyrie returned the hug, and added in a big grin. "Yay!"

**XxXxXx**

A sharp tap woke Roy from his sleep. His eyes saw only black, and it took some time for him to adjust to the darkness of his hidey hole. _That didn't sound like one of my traps.. But maybe it was the door. _His suspicious were answered though, when he heard footsteps walking across the floor. Suddenly, Roy was fully awake and ready to surprise whoever had returned to the house. Scythe in hand, he placed his hand on one of the floor boards and pushed lightly, but didn't get very far. A heavy weight stepped onto the board, pushing it back into the floor, leaving Roy stuck in his hole. _Damn it! Move you fat ass! _**"Hey. Look what I found." "What is it?" "Some kinda trap. Looks new too. It wasn't here when we left." "So then someone has been here, trying to catch us like rats." "Yep." "Search the place." **Roy grunted silently in annoyance. Now they knew he was here. But the weight on the board hadn't lifted, so he would be safe for the time being. The prince could hear other voices, no doubt more men. It seemed like his guess on the home's occupants had been spot on.

**"Hey man, I don't see anyone here.. Maybe they took off?" "After leaving all this shit behind? Yeah right! There's someone here! Keep lookin'" **Roy eased his weight up against the board over his head again. It budged to his delight. Now, he just had to perfect the timing. He'd already memorized the layout of the small home, so it would be a tad easier for him to fight in. It was freezing under the floor, but that didn't stop the sweat that began to drip down his forehead. He huffed and blew a strand of hair out of his eyes, gripping his scythe tightly. It was now or never. Moving into a crouched position, he eased the board up an inch or so. Barely enough for him to glance around the lower portion of the room. Roy could make out a number of shoes, but they were all clustered together. No one was talking, just a bunch of sneering and laughing. _What the hell is with these guys? _

**"Ey! You got her?" "Yeah, right here. But she's a real pain in the ass. Little bitch almost burned my hand off!" "Quit complaining and get her over here! We can't wait all night you know!" **Roy had now grown rather curious. They had someone with them. Who it was though, he had no idea. But he had to stop them. Or did he? _Let them have their fun, then when everyone is passed out, kill them.. Or be more chivalrous and save whoever this girl is.._ He was beginning to choose the first option. After all, why should he interfere? It would only cause them to grow angry. And he'd rather fight half asleep rapists then angry ones. But his decision shifted almost immediately when he heard a voice that he couldn't resist seeing. **"Hey you bastards! Let me go! Ow! Hey, you better watch it! Once I'm free, I'll singe you all to hell!"**

**XxXxXx**

"Alex will you calm down." Tye dropped the axe, walking into the dark dungeon. "I swear, you scream like a little girl." Alex was still cringing, his grip tightly into the wall behind him. "Yeah right. You try getting scared the shit out of! What the hell is the matter with you?" Tye laughed a bit, dragging his friend out of the dark room. "Matter with me? More like what's wrong with you?" Alex stood, shaking a little. "What's wrong with me?" His friend looked at him stupidly for a second before shaking his head and walking around. "You left your new girlfriend to deal with Kyrie, Aubrey and Shawn. By herself." At the comment, Alex's face turned a light red. He coughed a little uneasily. "Why you gotta call her that?" Tye glanced over his shoulder, a smirk on his face. "Well it wasn't a one nighter was it?" Alex's face suddenly turned a darker red, but he was pissed off now. "Hell no! Why would I do that to her?" "Wow, did I hit a nerve?" Tye sneered, walking towards an archway that was oddly positioned in the room. "Relax. You can do whatever you want. But know that Kyrie wants to kill you." Alex slumped up behind him, glaring at nothing in particular. "Oh great. Just what I need.." Laughing again, Tye walked under the archway, only to be stopped by a sudden _thud _that echoed through the chambers. "What was that?" Alex shrugged, following close behind his friend. After a few moments in silence, the duo soon spied a stairway. The boards were rotting, and most had been broken off, but it was still sturdy enough to walk on. After a careful climb, they came to a narrow hallway with a light at the end. Reaching the light, Tye peered out, only to recognize that he and Alex had ended up at the back of the castle.

"Tye, where did we go.. And why are we here?" Alex poked his head out from over Tye's shoulder, a confused look on his face. "Beats me. But I'm more worried about what that noise was." Nodding, Alex stayed behind Tye as they ran into the castle. It didn't take them long to get back to Alex's room, where the door had been blown in. The occupants inside were alright, but one was missing. "Where the hell have you two been?" Tye looked at Aubrey, confused, and then to Brissa and Shawn. "We fell down into this weird dungeon beneath the castle.." After a second of more silence, both boys realized what had happened, and simultaneously shouted at the rest of the group: "Where's Kyrie!"


	16. Ghost Stories

Ch 16: Ghost Stories

Roy wiped away what blood was left on his scythe. There were a total of four bodies, much less then he had thought. Still, even if it were twice that number, a fight with bandits showed little excitement in Roy's mind. He wanted a real challenge. Someone that he could spar with on a daily basis. Someone who could match the strength of his odd weapon. Because, not many knew about a scythe. It was still a new blade, under development in the Desert Kingdom. A handful of soldiers had gotten their greedy little hands on it, but they had no skill compared to the Prince. He had loved the weapon since he first saw it, hanging in his father's personal armory. The blacksmith caught sight of Roy's interest, and divulged the details of the rare craftsmanship. "Four months to make, that thing did." The forger had said. "Almost gave up once 'er twice. But, she's a fine blade. Nothing can match it, not yet anyways. Go on, have a feel of her."

The handle with which one gripped the weapon felt hard and rigged. It still needed to be smoothed out. But, Roy didn't want the soft feeling of smooth stone. He liked the rugged grip of cobble beneath his fingers as he hacked away at his enemies. The blade, which was much larger then any other he'd seen, was incredibly sharp. The blacksmith had mentioned something about finding the right type of metal, but the Prince hardly listened. He was more focused on the sheer design of it. Sure, it looked bulky and hard to handle, but in reality it was quite the opposite. The heavy wait near the top, where the blade was positioned, gave way to easier movement. One could strife and parry, although it would require more upper arm strength to control the heavy thing. Years of practice and perfection. That's what the Prince spent much of his lifetime on.

And now, he stood here, in the middle of the old shack, wiping off the crimson that had stained the white steel of his scythe. "I was hoping for more of a fight.. But, it looks like a request as simple as that is hard to come by these days." Roy shot a look of disgust at one of the corpses. To kidnap someone, probably for enjoyment, was revolting. The prince not only frowned on such activity, but he would be glad to stop it in it's place. It was something he had bragged about countless times before. _"Thieves and kidnappers had better watch out! I'm aiming my blade straight for their necks!" _A faint chuckle escaped him as he reminisced on his childhood. "I was pretty gullible back then, wasn't I?" No, not gullible, just feeble minded. After all, he was just a young boy. How could he knew about the bad things in the world? Seth would be taking the crown anyways, so it wasn't Roy's job to deal with the matters of the known universe.

"Hey! Are you gonna stand there, are are you gonna untie me already!" As quick as his daydreams had come, they were gone, soon dropping him back into reality. Roy turned around, only to be met by a rather angry girl with an angrier mouth. "Did you have to take your sweet time in killing those guys? I mean, I could have taken them out faster then you! You men are all the same!" Kyrie glared at this new face with more annoyance then anger. She couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked. It was a little weird for someone around her age to have white hair, but she liked it. It made him seem smarter then he probably was. As for his taste in clothes, that she would have to change. He looked like a farmer's boy with a thirst for a fight. But the way he looked at her, his posture, and the way he walked. Kyrie thought over that for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that he couldn't be a farmer. He had too much self control. And he didn't look like a soldier or anything along those lines. He wasn't as rash or baring as some of the warriors she had seen. _Could he be from Earth? _

No, he didn't have that feeling. He wasn't loudmouthed like Tye and Alex. _But he is cute. _Soon, the girl found herself quiet. Her face had turned a light pink, and although she did her best to shake the thoughts of him shirtless, they began to stampede through her mind. "Are you alright?" Kyrie froze where she was sitting. She couldn't really do anything else. Her heart began to beat like a drum as he approached her. "Uh..Yeah. Of course I'm fine.." Her voice had lowered a bit, almost to a whisper. She didn't know why her body had given up on her. Maybe she wanted him to save her? Well, he sort of already had. As he untied her, she could feel his hands trace along her body, which sent a quick chill down her spine. The roped had left behind bruises and a few markings across her wrists. Roy looked at the bruising for a silent minute or so. Soon after, he grabbed her hands and examined them more closely. This caught Kyrie by surprise, and she quickly pulled them back. "What are you doing?" He glanced up to look at her, their eyes meeting for a split second before she turned away. "I was making sure you aren't injured in any way. I'm sorry if my gesture seemed a little inappropriate." Kyrie bit her lower lip, turning to look at him once more. Her heart hadn't slowed, in fact, it's pace had only quickened.

"It's...Alright. I should be apologizing, not the other way around. I mean, I did kind of snap at you.." Roy looked at the girl, a confused expression coming onto his face. It quickly turned to a more cheerful mood, and he laughed slightly. "There's no need to apologize. I would have been mad as well if I were kidnapped." There was a hint of tease in his tone as he spoke, and the smirk that slid across his face made Kyrie blush even more. "I wasn't kidnapped.. Just..captured." He looked at her, his head tilting to the side a bit. "Isn't that the same thing?" "No!" She barked, standing up and nearly bumping into him. But her legs were still weak from having been unused for a short period, and she lost her balance. Before Kyrie could hit the floor, Roy caught her and pulled her up, his arms wrapping around her frame. "You're a bit of a klutz, aren't you?" He laughed again, seeing the annoyed look that settled on Kyrie's face. "I am not! My legs are just numb. Geez.." He released her from his grip, although she wished he had held her for a little while longer. Once she had found her balance, Kyrie looked around the house she had been taken to.

"Where exactly are we?" For the first time since he saw her, Roy took a look at their surroundings. His eyes had been glued to this girl the entire time, yet he couldn't figure out why. Why he was so fixated on her. She was so different from the girls he's used to. So..unique. He liked it. "The exact location, I'm not too sure about.. But, we're not too far from the Kingdom. It's about a half day's travel from here." Kyrie stared at the Prince, looking a little depressed. "Half a day? That's too long! I need to kill Alex now!" Roy stared back, the same confused look as before returning to his face, but more so this time. "Kill who?"

**XxXxXx**

Tye had just ran his blade through one bandit, while a second dropped to the ground, an arrow sticking out of his chest. The third and final thug had been lashed with a whip, and that same weapon held him in a tight grip. "Now, since your friends didn't want to talk, we'll ask you. Where's the mage girl?" Out of the three boys, Tye was usually the one to do any kind of interrogating. He had that evil presence around him that could usually scare away anyone who looks at him. Of course, it was more of an act, just so he _could _scare people. He enjoyed it very much. Sometimes, Alex and Shawn wondered if Tye was really on the right side. **"Listen buddy, I don't know nothin' about no mage girl!" **Tye gritted his teeth, taking a few steps closer to his next victim. "Strike one." **"What? But I swear! I don't know anything!" **Watching from a distance, Alex snickered. "Just tell us, and you won't have to die a slow and painful death. Is it really that difficult to cooperate?" Shawn nodded in agreement, tightening the whip's hold. "All these guys are the same. They think they're tough and can withstand our torturous ways." He had a more playful tone then anger, because Shawn found all this quite fun. He wasn't too thrilled about the killing part, but having people running away in fear always put a smile on his face. On more then one occasion, the girls had claimed those boys had been hit one too many times. And it showed.

Their captive shook with more then fear though. It was apparent he looked to be more scared of someone else, not them. "Look, you're starting to get on my nerves. All you need to do is tell me where they took the girl. I'll let you go." The crumbling man, who looked past the breaking point, glanced around at the three before him. **"You.. Won't hurt me?" **Tye shook his head, a smirk coming to his face. "Wouldn't think of it." While the man hesitated, Alex and Shawn took a quick look at one another. "Ten bucks says he'll still kill him." Alex hushed, leaning in to Shawn just a tad so his friend could better hear him. "Make it twenty." They smiled to one another and shook hands, now even more into the interrogation then before. "Come on, I'll give you ten more seconds." The man looked around again, more nervous this time around. "Ten.." **"Alright! Alright! They went to the old farmhouse out by Hangman's Creek.." **

**XxXxXx**

"Hangman's Creek?" Roy nodded, answering the question Kyrie had just asked. She looked at him, still confused. "But I've never heard of it." Roy laughed a little, extending his hand to the only chair in the room. She sat down, expecting a story to come out of this. "It's not surprising, since no one really talks about it." Kyrie glanced around. They were in this, creek place? But, there wasn't any creek. In fact, there was no water at all. She could see clearly out one of the windows right behind Roy. The ground was covered in nothing but grass, as far as the eye could see. Grass, and the occasional patch of dirt. "That makes no sense though. If this is a creek, where's the water?" Now Roy had the confused look. "What water?" Kyrie returned the look with her one, as if she presumed he was teasing her again. "You know. A creek has water. It's a little stream." "Interesting..But I've never heard of such a thing." The girl was about to explain further, but suddenly remembered they weren't at home. This place, although it resembled much of Earth, was completely different.

"What _I'm _talking about.." Roy began, "is a fissure in the ground. A creek. Like, a big gaping hole." _Oh, so then he's talking about a canyon. _She thought, letting her mouth get a break. Roy waited for another interruption, but when it never came, he continued. "Around one hundred or so years ago, there was supposedly a creek that ran through here. All that grass you see outside has only been there a short while. Anyways, the people say there once was a man by the mane of.. Damn it what was it again?"

**XxXxXx**

"Spencer Greeves." Stated Shawn, as the trio walked along a dirt path towards Hangman's Creek. "Ed had told me the story of the guy before he went looney. They say he had struck gold in the creek. Spencer was a really greedy man, and of course, when he found the gold, he didn't want to tell anyone. So, he hid it. But he was also a really stupid man. Because the creek was so big, he had forgotten where he put the gold. He spent the rest of his life down there, and his body was found with a pickaxe and half a bag of gold leaflets." Tye laughed a little, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "So then why's it called Hangman's Creek?" Shawn glanced over his shoulder. He was leading them, since the other two had no idea of where to go. Alex and Tye hadn't ecplored much of the world. They were usually back in the castle, trying to stop the hoards of soldiers from knocking the place down.

"Hangman's Creek got it's name from Spencer's brother. Garth. Garth was a lot smarter then Spencer, and he found the gold pretty easily. So of course, since his brother was dead, Garth spent the gold and became insanely rich. But, he used up all the gold over his lifetime. He found the gold when he was really young, like sixteen I think it was. He had blown it all by the time he hit sixty. So, after all those years, he thought he'd go looking for more. But the creek was a lot smaller. There had been some earthquakes during Garth's life, and people were saying the quakes had pushed the earth together, closing up canyons and caverns. The creek Garth went to was closing up to, in fact, it had grown too small for him to climb down. Now he was out of money, and he had some debts that still needed paying. Over the years, he had borrowed money from noblemen, promising to play them back with pure gold. But, he took too much money, and didn't have enough gold to give. So when those men came to collect, they found Garth had left his home. There was a big search for him, 'cause he was so high up there on the social ladder. When they finally found the guy, he had hung himself on a tree that swayed over the small creek. They tried to cut him down, but they dropped him and he got stuck in teh creek. Nobody wanted to try and move him, so they just left him there. After a while, the earthquakes closed up the creek, and no one ever saw Garth Greeves' body again."

**XxXxXx**

"That's a horrible story!" Kyrie shouted. Roy had just finished explaining, and couldn't help but smile a bit. "It's not a story. It's a myth. Something the town elders made up to scare kids and show them what happens when people become too greedy." Kyrie stared at Roy, like she had been doing since they met. "I still don't like it.." He chuckled to himself. The prince suddenly realized this girl he had saved was definitely leaving an impression on him. Throughout the short amount of time they've been together, he couldn't help the laughter that seemed to radiate out of him. "You're an odd one. Ms...?" "Oh!" Kyrie had forgotten the two had yet to introduce, and instead had picked up on the various conversations they held. "Kyrie." Roy smiled as she spoke her name. It had a beautiful ring to it, something he would love saying. "Nice to meet you Kyrie. My name is Ryhoei." Be bowed a little, as proper when introducing oneself to a lady. Kyrie giggled a little. "Ryo- what?" "Hm?" He glanced up from his bow. "Ah.. Yes, I suppose you aren't familiar with the name.. Roy, then. Please, call me Roy."

**XxXxXx**

"So, why exactly would a couple thugs take Kyrie to this creek place?" Tye had now taken the lead, having picked up a faint smell of perfume their friend had been wearing. Shawn, walking behind him alongside Alex, merely shrugged. "Probably because of the name. A lot of the folks here don't go near Hangman's Creek. They say it's haunted by the Greeves' brothers." At the sound of _haunted _Alex slowed his pace. "Haunted?" He repeated, taking a few steps back. "Yeah, you both know how I do with ghosts.. So, I'll let you find Kyrie, while I...Stand guard?" The other two had stopped as well, and Tye laughed a little. "You're not really scared of some stupid place that _could _be haunted?" Alex nodded, a little frantic. "Hell yeah I am!" Shaking his head, the swordsman walked over to his friend and grabbed his wrist. "Ow! Hey, Tye what the hell are you doing?" His friend was silent, dragging Alex along the dirt path with Shawn right behind them. "Listen you idiot, there's no such things as ghosts, alright?" Shawn nodded behind them, adding in, "besides, the only thing scary around here is Tye." The thought of that relaxed Alex, and he began walking on his own once more. But, he was still unsure. "Alright, alright. But if we get abducted or possessed I'm killing you both."

The three laughed as they approached the bottom of a steep hill. "Beyond this is Hangman's Creek." Tye examined the last obstacle on their little journey. "Wow, kind of a stupid place to put a mountain, huh?" They all nodded, beginning the climb that would take an average person a good half hour or so to make. The sun had begun to set, painting the world around the trio in a light pink and orange. The sun itself was nearly gone, dropping behind the far mountains off in the distance. Of course, with the setting sun, a harsh wind picked up. It was going to be a cold night, so the boys planned to just grab Kyrie and run. None of them were up for a fight, and they all agreed that a break from bloodshed was needed.

Minutes ticked by rather quickly, and soon they had reached the half way point. "I'm getting bored.." Complained Alex, who was at the rear of the group. "You're always bored." Tye glanced back over his shoulder, giving the bowman a teasing smirk. "Am not." "Are too." Alex glared at the back of Tye's head, wanting to punch it. "We're not five you know. We could settle this like men." A quick laugh came from Tye before he turned, now walking backwards up the hill. "You mean argue irrationally and cuss one another out?" "We already do that." "Then we're men." What was the point? Tye always had a way of talking people out of fight. But, it felt like they had had a fight, verbally, and Alex had lost somehow. _That seems to happen a lot with him.. _Pushing the thought away, he returned his attention to the climb, but stopped in his tracks when something had dashed behind him.

He quickly spun around, bow drawn, and aimed down the hill. "What's wrong?" Tye turned as well, gripping the handle of his sword. "I could've sworn I heard something.." Shawn, who had unhooked his whip, shook his head. "It's just you freaking out again. Relax already." Alex looked at both of them, an annoyed expression clearly visible on his face. "Yeah, whatever. Easy for you to say, you're in the middle." Shawn laughed, holstering the silver whip onto his belt. However, it was pulled off once more when the three of them caught sight of a black cloaked figure rushing towards them. Alex had already pulled an arrow out, readying it, while Tye's sword gleamed in the dwindling sunlight. The three waited for the hooded stranger to make it's first move, watching as it inched closer to them. "I told you I heard something!"


End file.
